The two-week repair work on the Kara bridge is beginning to take its toll on free movement of vehicles on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway axis, as motorists remain stranded for several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. The Federal Government announced the commencement of work on the damaged expansion joints of the bridge, beginning on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, a move that has triggered a massive gridlock, according to our correspondents who monitored the situation.
The project, earlier slated to commence in August 2026, was suspended for traffic review following public outcry over short notice and the need for effective traffic management. However, commencement of the exercise has triggered massive traffic along the corridor since Tuesday, stretching from the Kara Bridge in Ogun State to the 7Up Junction in Lagos State, and beyond. While motorists plying the road, as of 4:00 PM on Tuesday, witnessed an extension even beyond the Secretariat Bus Stop, those coming from Ikeja and Agege to access the Otedola underpass were also locked in the tight vehicular procession, which stretched beyond the Otunba Jobi Fele Way.
As of Tuesday afternoon, joint security officials were seen alternating between vehicles heading towards Kara from Isheri and Ojodu, with those coming from the expressway, in an attempt to prevent a total lockdown. The heavy presence of 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, could not placate the situation, as the repair work further worsened traffic at the bridge’s entry and exit points inward OPIC, around the Kara Bridge.
As of Wednesday morning, as early as 5:30 in the morning, motorists were seen plying one-way to get passengers to their destinations. Street urchins also took advantage of the situation as they scurried along the corridor in a chase after commercial drivers to earn quick money. Commuters have started lamenting the terrible situation of the exercise as many get stranded and are unable to meet up with appointments and early arrivals at their places of work.
Speaking with our correspondent, a motorist, Tijani Akinyele, described the situation as “terrible”. According to him, motorists heading towards Mowe who had no viable alternative route on Tuesday have been forced to ply a one-way as of 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.
