Traffic congestion has worsened on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, with commuters and motorists stranded for several hours around the Kara Bridge and adjoining routes, as the ongoing bridge repairs continue to disrupt movement.
The situation was further aggravated by a multiple-vehicle crash involving a container-laden truck on Tuesday, leaving some commuters trapped on the road overnight and forcing others to trek long distances to their destinations.
As of Wednesday morning, traffic remained heavy around the Kara Bridge, Berger, OPIC, Long Bridge and adjoining Lagos routes, Ojota, Ogba, and Maryland, with road users reporting prolonged delays.
Some commuters who left work in Lagos on Tuesday evening said they were still on the road hours later.
One commuter said he resorted to trekking from New Garage to Berger after the traffic became unbearable.
Another truck driver said he was still stuck at Ikeja at about 3 a.m Wednesday and is still on hold as he is headed to Aba after travelling through the night.
A commuter said “I am headed to Mowe and I have been trekking for over three hours.”
The prolonged congestion has also affected public transportation, with some commuters reporting difficulty getting buses to work on Wednesday morning.
The situation comes amid the Federal Government’s ongoing rehabilitation of the Kara Bridge, where deteriorating expansion joints are being replaced.
The two-week project, directed by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, began on September 8 and is scheduled to run until September 22.
The Federal Ministry of Works said the expansion joints had exceeded their service life and required replacement to improve safety and preserve the structural integrity of the bridge.
The work is being carried out in phases, with one half of the affected section closed while traffic uses the other side under traffic management arrangements. The project was initially scheduled for August but was postponed following concerns over traffic management and the potential impact on road users.
However, the reduced road capacity has made the corridor particularly vulnerable to major gridlocks whenever there is an accident or vehicle breakdown.
That vulnerability was exposed again on Tuesday when a 40-foot container truck crashed at Kara Bridge.
LASEMA said preliminary findings showed that the truck developed a mechanical fault while in motion, causing the driver to lose control and ram into six other vehicles.
The crash involved the container truck, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and another Mitsubishi Hilux.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene at about 6:05 a.m., while LASEMA, LASTMA and the police worked to manage traffic and recover the affected vehicles.
The vehicles were subsequently removed from the carriageway with assistance from private towing operators.
However, the incident triggered severe congestion as the affected section was temporarily obstructed.
A container-laden trailer incident on Tuesday afternoon compounded the existing traffic situation caused by the bridge repairs, forcing a closure of the Lagos-bound section and affecting motorists travelling in the opposite direction.
Authorities began removing barriers around the construction area to create an alternative passage and ease movement. LASTMA and Ogun State traffic officials were deployed to manage the situation.
The resulting gridlock spread beyond Kara and Berger, with traffic also affecting connecting routes into Lagos, with congestion extending beyond Long Bridge towards Magboro and into Lagos.
The prolonged traffic also led to increased transport fares on some routes, with fares rising to as much as ₦4,000 from Berger to Oshodi, ₦3,500 from Berger to Mowe, ₦1,500 from Agege to OPIC, and ₦2,000 from Magboro to Berger.
For many road users, the consequences have gone beyond delayed journeys.
Commuters have complained lost working hours, additional fuel expenses, increased transport fares and physical exhaustion.
Some have resorted to walking long distances to escape the traffic, while others have abandoned vehicles and sought alternative means of transportation.
The latest situation has also renewed concerns about the vulnerability of the Kara-OPIC corridor, which carries a large volume of commuters, commercial vehicles and goods between Lagos, Ogun State and other parts of the country.
The Federal Government had previously explained that the Kara repairs were necessary because the damaged expansion joints posed safety risks and could contribute to more serious structural problems if left unattended.
Traffic authorities have also been deployed along the corridor to manage diversions and prevent further obstruction.
LASTMA said on Wednesday morning that movement was gradually improving from Otedola Bridge towards Berger, Kara and the OPIC turning, although a backlog of traffic was still spreading beyond Long Bridge.
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