A two-week repair project on the Kara Bridge has thrown the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway into severe gridlock, stranding motorists for hours at a stretch.
The Federal Government began replacing damaged expansion joints on the bridge on Tuesday, September 8, after the project, which had earlier been suspended for traffic management planning, finally got underway.
The resulting congestion has spread from Kara Bridge in Ogun State through to 7Up Junction in Lagos State and beyond. By Tuesday afternoon, traffic had backed up past Secretariat Bus Stop, while motorists heading from Ikeja and Agege towards the Otedola underpass were caught in gridlock extending beyond Otunba Jobi Fele Way.
Frustrated commuters took to social media through Tuesday to share videos and photos of the standstill, many recounting hours-long trips home from work. By Wednesday morning, drivers had resorted to one-way routing to move passengers as the congestion showed no signs of easing.
Security and traffic agencies — including the police, the military, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency — have been deployed to manage the corridor. Repair activity at the bridge’s entry and exit points toward OPIC has added further pressure to the Kara area.
Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, appealed for patience, saying the agency had issued an advance traffic advisory and that the works, though disruptive, were necessary to guarantee the corridor’s long-term safety. He urged motorists without pressing business along the route to avoid it entirely, and those who must use it to cooperate with officials on ground.
The rehabilitation, ordered by Minister of Works David Umahi, involves replacing worn expansion joints to shore up the bridge’s structural integrity and improve safety. It is scheduled to run until September 22.
The Lagos State Government has urged motorists to plan their journeys in advance, noting that only one half of the affected section will be closed at a time, with traffic alternating on the other half. It has also called for public cooperation to keep the rehabilitation on schedule.
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