The ongoing two-week repair of the Kara Bridge expansion joints has triggered severe traffic congestion along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, leaving motorists and commuters stranded for several hours.
The repair work, which commenced on Tuesday, following an earlier postponement, has caused significant disruption to the vehicular movement between Lagos and Ogun states.
Correspondents monitoring the situation reported that the traffic had, by Tuesday afternoon, stretched from the Kara Bridge in Ogun State to the 7Up Junction in Lagos and extended beyond the Secretariat Bus Stop.
Motorists travelling from Ikeja and Agege towards the Otedola Underpass were also caught in the gridlock, with the congestion extending beyond the Otunba Jobi Fele Way.
The Federal Government had earlier scheduled the repair for August but suspended the exercise to review the traffic management plan following public concerns over the short notice and possible disruption to motorists.
However, the commencement of the repairs has resulted in heavy traffic around the bridge’s entry and exit points, particularly along the inward OPIC axis.
Security and traffic management personnel, including the police, military, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), were deployed to manage the situation.
The officials were seen alternating traffic movement between vehicles travelling towards Kara from Isheri and Ojodu and those coming from the expressway in an effort to prevent a complete traffic lockdown.
Despite the deployment of personnel, the situation remained difficult for motorists, with the repair work further slowing movement around the bridge.
By 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, motorists were already experiencing significant congestion, with some commercial drivers reportedly resorting to one-way driving to move passengers towards their destinations.
The traffic situation also attracted street urchins, who were seen moving along the corridor and approaching commercial drivers in an attempt to make quick money from the congestion.
Commuters expressed frustration over the development, saying the prolonged delays had left many stranded and caused them to miss appointments and arrive late at their workplaces.
A motorist, Tijani Akinyele, described the situation as “terrible,” saying motorists heading towards Mowe who had no viable alternative route were forced to resort to one-way driving on Wednesday morning.
“We didn’t expect this whole repair would turn out like this. The situation is terrible, but there’s nothing I can do,” he said.
The Kara Bridge repair is expected to continue for two weeks, with motorists and commuters facing possible further delays along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway during the period.
Share this content:
About The Author
