Kara Bridge Repairs: First Phase Completed, Slight Relief for Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Motorists
Motorists on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway recorded a measure of relief on Wednesday as the contractor repairing the Kara Bridge finished the first phase of concrete works, even as traffic remained heavy along the corridor.
The improvement came after Tuesday’s gruelling gridlock, when some commuters spent close to four hours in traffic due to the partial closure of the bridge for repairs. By Wednesday afternoon, movement had picked up slightly, though vehicles approaching the bridge still crawled.
A motorist who joined the queue shortly after Emergency inward Lagos said he was nearing Otedola around 2:30 p.m. “It’s better than yesterday. I spent almost three hours from the 7Up area to get to Otedola on Tuesday. It was crazy,” he said.
The Federal Ministry of Works began the intervention to fix damaged expansion joints on the bridge. The repairs have cut down the number of usable lanes and increased pressure on the expressway.
Acting Controller of Works in Ogun State, Richard Adeleye, rejected suggestions that work was slow. “Who is saying the pace of work is slow? We are almost done with one side. We started yesterday,” he said. He explained that the damaged expansion joints had contributed to accidents, making the repairs necessary despite the temporary inconvenience.
He said the contractor planned to finish the second section and move to the other side of the bridge as soon as possible. Rain on Wednesday, however, forced the suspension of the next phase of concrete and stone works. Workers continued drilling the expansion joint ahead of installation, while activities that could not continue in the rain were paused.
A traffic update said only two lanes were available to motorists heading towards the OPIC Turning, forcing the four lanes from the Secretariat towards Kara Bridge to merge into two about 10 metres before the bridge. The lane reduction also affected traffic around New Garage, where traffic lights were used to alternate vehicles approaching from Isheri-Olowora and River Valley with those coming from Otedola Bridge and heading out of Lagos. The backlog stretched towards the Mobil-Otedola axis.
LASTMA officers, police and other agencies were deployed at strategic points to control movement. Adeleye said the agencies were managing the situation and that arrangements had been made for night traffic control.
He urged motorists to be patient and consider alternative routes, including the Ogijo and Ikorodu corridors, where traffic was reportedly lighter. “I am also going through Ogijo, through Ikorodu now. That road is very free right now,” he said.
The Lagos State Government had earlier advised motorists to expect delays during the two-week repair exercise and to plan their journeys accordingly. In a travel advisory signed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the government said half of the affected section would be closed at a time, with motorists expected to use the available lane interchangeably.
The closure was worsened by traffic feeding into the Kara corridor from several directions, including 7Up, the Secretariat, CMD Road, Ojodu Road and other connecting routes. Some motorists diverted through Ikorodu, Sagamu, GRA, Oba Akran, WEMCO Road, Ogunnusi Road and Ojodu-Berger, although many still reported spending hours on the road.
Beyond the current repairs, Adeleye said the government was aware of concerns about similar problems on other bridges, including expansion joints showing signs of deterioration. He said the current repairs were being done to ensure durability and prevent a recurrence.
According to him, the concrete is expected to attain the required strength within five to seven days, after which the repaired section can be opened to traffic. He assured motorists that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the entire intervention would be completed within the scheduled two-week period.