The governor made the call on Monday when he visited the site of a collapsed bridge between the NNPC Mega Station and the New Artisan flyover on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
Speaking to journalists at the scene of the collapse, Governor Mbah thanked God that no lives were lost in the incident, which he described as a disaster.
He, however, appealed to the federal government to consider giving the states the responsibility of managing all federal roads within their domains for proper maintenance in partnership with the private sector.
"We need to ask ourselves if the federal government’s road maintenance strategy is working.
"Today, we are here to witness a calamity that has just happened. We are lucky that no one was injured, but this could have been totally prevented. People can no longer use this road because of this disaster. This clearly shows that our federal road maintenance model is not working.
"This bridge did not collapse by accident. If we had regular maintenance, these risks could have been detected.
The best thing to do may be to find a way to give the states access to these roads. The governor said, "There has to be a discussion on the funding mechanisms and the states have to take charge of the roads within their territories.
According to LEADERSHIP, the bridge collapsed on Monday, causing traffic gridlock on the busy road.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Gerald Otiji, said in a statement that the state government advised commuters to use Ogui Road and Abakaliki Road or Nza Street through New Haven while they work on an immediate repair of the collapsed section of the bridge.
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