The 40-year-old Eguhuo Bridge in Agba, Ishiellu Local Government Area of Ebonyi, caved in on Wednesday after a downpour.
The rainfall paralysed economic activities in the area as vehicles could not gain access to communities in the area.
The affected communities are Ogboji, Eguhuo, Eguotu, Eguogiji and Onunweke.
The bridge link the area to Amagunze in Enugu state.
Chief Julius Nworkpor, who represents the area in the state assembly, said the situation had made it impossible for the people to gain access to their communities with vehicles.
“Before this unfortunate situation, a journey to Enugu State from the area took about 30 minutes but now its lasts for some hours.
“Indigenes of the area who wish to access their communities from Abakaliki now have to get to Enugu through the Enugu-Abakaliki expressway and then take Abani to reach the place,” he said.
Nwokpor said this was the second time the bridge was caving-in in three years.
He urged the people to exercise patience, adding that the government would expedite action on the new bridge it was constructing beside the failed one.
Conducting journalists and a team of engineers round the bridge, the state’s Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr Chukwuma Nwandugo, said the bridge caved-in due to heavy traffic.
“The pressure weakened the bridge and forced the abutment to cut off from the metal reinforcement.
“The unity bridge beside it could have been completed before now, but it was discovered it was poorly designed and could pose serious threat to users,” he said.
The commissioner said the contractor, who is now dead, did a shoddy job on the foundation design which forced work to stop on the project.
He urged the people to be patient, adding that the government would expedite action to work on the bridge to ensure that economic and social activities returned to the area.