Kara Bridge repairs cripple Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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Motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stranded for several hours on Tuesday as repair works on the damaged expansion joints of the Kara Bridge triggered a massive gridlock along the busy corridor.

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PUNCH Metro correspondents, who monitored the situation, observed that the traffic, which began building up in the afternoon, stretched from the Kara Bridge in Ogun State to the 7Up Junction in Lagos State.

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As of 3:30pm, the gridlock had extended beyond the Secretariat Bus Stop, while motorists coming from Ikeja and Agege and attempting to access the Otedola underpass were also caught in the congestion, which stretched to Otunba Jobi Fele Way.

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Our correspondents also observed a heavy presence of joint security and traffic management personnel, comprising the police and military, alongside officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Federal Road Safety Corps and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps.

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The officials were seen alternating vehicles heading towards Kara from Isheri and Ojodu with those coming from the expressway in an attempt to prevent a total lockdown.

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The traffic was further compounded by repair works at the entry and exit points of the bridge inward OPIC, which briefly worsened congestion around the Kara Bridge.

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Speaking with our correspondent, a motorist, Tunji Kazeem, described the situation as unbearable, saying motorists heading towards Mowe had no viable alternative route.

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He said, “The situation is unbearable, but there’s nothing I can do. There’s no alternative route for those of us going to Mowe. We just have to face it.

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“The problem is that our government doesn’t know how to plan repair works like this in a way that we won’t have to bear the brunt of the gridlock.

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“This is 3pm. I left Oshodi around 1pm, and we have been at a standstill since I got to 7Up.”

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Another motorist, who identified himself as Jelili, lamented the recurring traffic congestion on the expressway and called for a permanent solution.

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He said, “If road repairs or ram sellers do not cause gridlock, it will be accidents that will cause the gridlock. It is tiring. The government needs to find a permanent solution to the gridlock.”

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Kunle Bankole, another motorist, also appealed to the authorities to find a lasting solution to the recurring traffic situation on the expressway.

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He said, “It is because the majority of our leaders don’t ply this road. It’s only the common man. Please, help us beg them to find a lasting solution to gridlock on this road.

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“It’s not a difficult thing to do if the government truly wants to help us; they just prefer to subject us to unnecessary hardship.”

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However, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, urged motorists to exercise patience and cooperate with traffic officials during the repair period.

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Akinbiyi said the agency had anticipated the possibility of gridlock and had consequently issued a traffic advisory ahead of the commencement of the repairs.

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He said, “We anticipated that there would be traffic, and that was why we issued a traffic advisory earlier.

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“We can only appeal to motorists to bear with us for the time being because the repair works are necessary to ensure smooth movement and the safety of road users along the corridor.

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“Anyone who does not have an important business along the axis should stay away, and those who cannot avoid using that route should cooperate with traffic officials.”

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PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that the Federal Government had announced a two-week replacement of expansion joints on the Kara-Berger Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, beginning on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

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Akinbiyi had said the repair, being carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works and other relevant stakeholders, would run until September 22, 2026.

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He added that the intervention followed a directive by the Minister of Works and was aimed at addressing the deteriorating expansion joints, improving road safety, preserving the structural integrity of the bridge and ensuring smoother movement along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor.

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