Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Gridlock Worsens as Kara Bridge Repairs Begin
Motorists and commuters using the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have faced severe traffic congestion following the commencement of a two-week rehabilitation of the Kara Bridge. The repair, directed by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, involves the replacement of deteriorating expansion joints on the bridge to improve safety, structural integrity and traffic movement along the busy corridor. The project began on September 8, 2026, after an earlier planned start in August was suspended to review traffic management arrangements following concerns over short notice. Under the current arrangement, one half of the affected section is being closed at a time while traffic uses the other half. Despite earlier warnings from the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, motorists and commuters were stranded for hours as the congestion spread from the Kara axis in Ogun State towards Lagos. By Wednesday, the second day of the repairs, traffic had extended beyond Otedola Bridge and 7Up Junction, with severe delays reported around the Toll Gate area, Secretariat Bus Stop, Ojodu Berger and surrounding routes. Some commuters complained that the traffic management measures were inadequate for the volume of vehicles, while others said they were losing valuable time and spending more on fuel and transportation.
Traffic officials from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, TRACE, were later deployed around the Kara axis to manage vehicle movement and prevent a complete lockdown. LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said additional personnel, including tow trucks, had been positioned along the corridor to remove broken-down vehicles and other obstructions. Through the agency’s Public Affairs Officer, Taofeek Adebayo, he urged motorists to follow diversion instructions and use alternative routes, including Ikorodu Road through Ikorodu Roundabout and Sagamu Road or Itokin Road towards Ijebu-Ode, as well as the Ikorodu-Ogijo-Simawa route. Motorists could also use the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway through Sango, Ifo and Papa before connecting towards the interchange. TRACE spokesperson Babatunde Akinbiyi said the agency had anticipated congestion and issued a traffic advisory ahead of the repairs. He appealed for patience and cooperation, urging motorists without essential business along the corridor to avoid the route during the repair period, which is expected to last a maximum of two weeks.
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