By Oluyinka Onigbinde
Residents, motorists, workers and businesses along Marine Road, off -Liverpool Road in Apapa, Lagos, have raised the alarm over what they describe as an imminent disaster following the rapid deterioration of a major section of the road.
The road, which serves as a critical access route for residents, commercial vehicles and port users within the Apapa axis, has developed cracks and deep fissures, leaving large portions of the asphalt washed-off and on the verge of complete collapse.
A visit to the area by our correspondent last week revealed that the collapsing road is sitting directly on a major drainage channel that feeds directly into the Liverpool waterways. The structural integrity of this underlying drainage appears compromised, exacerbating the road’s failure and turning the damaged section into a disaster waiting to happen.
Large cracks now run across the entire width of the carriageway, while parts of the road have sunk significantly, creating dangerous cavities capable of derailing vehicles and posing dangers to unsuspecting pedestrians, if urgent intervention is not carried out.
To prevent tragedy, concerned residents have resorted to using concrete traffic drums and caution tapes to cordon off the affected portions. However, despite these makeshift safety measures, the road remains a major threat to lives and property, particularly at night when visibility is poor.
The frightening state of the road has heightened fears among residents who believe that continued vehicular movement, especially by heavy-duty trucks and articulated vehicles that frequently ply the corridor, could trigger a total collapse of the road and the underlying drainage system at any moment.
Beyond posing a direct danger to motorists, the road has become a nightmare for residents, employees of companies operating within the area and visitors who rely on the route daily.
Motorists now struggle to manoeuvre around the damaged sections, while pedestrians are forced to navigate dangerously close to the collapsed edges.
Many fear that without immediate repairs, the road could cave in completely into the drainage below, cutting off access to several residential and commercial facilities and potentially leading to fatal accidents.
Residents who spoke with Shipping Position Daily expressed disappointment that despite the visible danger and the vulnerability of the underlying drainage, no government agency has commenced emergency repairs or taken concrete steps to address the situation.
According to them, the cracks have continued to widen with each passing day, particularly after rainfall when water surges through the channel to the Liverpool waterways, suggesting that the failure extends deep beneath the surface and could worsen drastically if left unattended.
“This road is collapsing into the drainage underneath before our very eyes. Every day the cracks become wider, and everybody who passes here fears the worst. We are simply waiting for disaster if nothing is done urgently,” one resident lamented.
Another commuter described the road as “a ticking time bomb,” warning that it would only take one heavily loaded truck or a period of intense rainfall washing through the drainage to cause the entire section to give way into the waterway channel.
Marine Road is an important link within the Apapa metropolis, connecting residential neighbourhoods and business premises, while also serving as an alternative route for vehicles accessing parts of the Liverpool axis. Its collapse would further compound the already challenging traffic situation in the port city.
Stakeholders are therefore calling on the Apapa Local Government, the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, and other relevant agencies to immediately carry out a comprehensive structural assessment of the failed road section and the underlying drainage channel leading to the Liverpool waterways, and commence emergency reconstruction before lives are lost.
They stressed that government should not wait until a major tragedy occurs before responding, noting that preventive action is always less costly than managing the consequences of avoidable disasters.
The residents also urged emergency management agencies to immediately strengthen safety measures around the failed section to prevent accidents pending permanent repairs.
