Business and commercial activities have ground to a halt on the Abuja-Keffi boundary between Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Nasarawa State due to a heavy gridlock.

As a result of the gridlock occasioned by road repair works being undertaken by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), hundreds of thousands of private and public workers have been stranded.

Investigation showed the lane from Keffi leading to Abuja has been cut off by the FERMA without prior notice to road users.

Our correspondent observed that the road was cut off at a point known as Sharp Corner, Mararaba, in a bid to build a new bridge for control of perennial erosion on the road.

It was gathered that the road was cut off by two heavy equipment in the night without the provision of an alternative bypass for passage.

On the construction site, heavily armed security operatives were seen giving security back up to the workers to avoid possible attacks on them by angry road users.

Our correspondent noted that the gridlock which started to build up at the site as early as 5 am has reached a crisis point at the time of this report, having reached Ado village, a distance of 5 kilometers.

Angry commercial and private vehicle owners trapped in the gridlock were seen abandoning their vehicles due to the state of hopelessness.

The problem was found to have been compounded by desperate commercial vehicle and tricycle owners who formed several lanes that made turning back impossible.

However, capitalizing on the gridlock, commercial motorcycle riders, commonly called Okada, have been making brisk business from those desperate to go to Abuja for work.

From Mararaba to Nyayan which used to attract N100 per passenger now cost N500 while Mararaba to AYA bridge goes for N700 per person instead of the usual N150.

One of the officials of FERMA, Engineer Tony Emeka, told Newsmen that his agency has an ultimatum within which to build the bridge to control erosion on the highway, hence, the rush before heavy rains will set in.

He appealed to the angry road users to bear with the government, adding that the agency was undertaking the work and speeding it up in the general interest of the people.

However, civil servants and private workers who could not pay exorbitant motorcycle fares through their noses were seen returning home after making phone contacts with their offices while scores opted to trek to work.