Heavy vehicular traffic paralyzed movements on the popular Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday as the Federal Ministry of Works commenced repair of the expansion joints of the damaged Kara Bridge.
The traffic jam, which started before noon, spread to Ojota, Lagos, at 3pm, with motorists finding it difficult to navigate the road.
As a result, many passengers trying to find their way home were stranded at Ojota, Secretariat and Berger bus stops.
However, commercial vehicle operators took advantage of the situation to increase rates.
The Federal Government had announced that repair work on damaged expansion joints on the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway would commence on September 8.
A statement on Sunday by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, noted that the development is in line with the earlier announcement by the Federal Ministry of Works.
The project, which was scheduled to start on August 26 this year, was suspended for traffic review, following public outcry over the short notice and the need for effective traffic management.
The two-week rehabilitation, led by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, will involve the replacement of deteriorated expansion joints to improve road safety, structural integrity and long-term traffic flow in the corridor.
The project is expected to run until September 22.
Meanwhile, the state government has advised motorists traversing the corridor to plan their trips in advance.
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To minimize its impact on traffic, the government explained that half of the affected stretch will be closed at a time, while motorists will share the other open half interchangeably, appealing to all motorists to be patient and cooperate with traffic managers to ensure that the rehabilitation is completed as planned.
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