Motorists trapped for hours as containers falls on Otedola bridge

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By Michael Akande

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Motorists plying the Otedola bridge corridor inward Lagos yesterday, were trapped in a gridlock that lasted for hours after two 20-foot containers fell off a Mack articulated truck, making access impossible.

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The development led to a temporary traffic backlog stretching beyond Kara Bridge, as motorists approaching the area encountered heavy congestion.

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The incident, it was gathered, occurred after the truck developed a battery-related mechanical fault while in transit along the busy corridor.

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The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, explained that “during an attempted private recovery operation to remove the immobilised vehicle from the roadway, the truck suddenly overturned, causing the containers to dislodge and fall onto the expressway.”

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However, LASTMA said no casualty was recorded in the incident.

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Its Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, said: “Upon receiving the distress notification, the LASTMA Rescue and Recovery Team immediately mobilised to the scene, collaborating closely with operational personnel from LASTMA Zone 2 Command to institute a comprehensive traffic control architecture designed to safeguard motorists and avert any potential secondary incidents.

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“In order to facilitate the expeditious clearance of the obstruction, the authority temporarily closed the main carriageway of the expressway inward Lagos, deployed a high-capacity tow truck to the location, while a heavy-duty crane was also engaged to undertake the technical lifting and repositioning of the fallen containers, thereby enabling a safe and coordinated recovery operation.

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“LASTMA personnel remained actively engaged in traffic diversion, vehicular regulation and crowd management, effectively mitigating congestion and restoring order to vehicular movement within the axis.

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“Following the successful completion of the recovery and clearance operations, normal traffic flow was progressively restored as the main carriageway was reopened upon the removal of the overturned truck and its containers from the roadway.”

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He added that the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, immediately deployed additional personnel to the scene to complement other emergency responders.

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