Kara Bridge Repairs, Multiple Crashes Trigger 14-Hour Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Motorists and commuters along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway endured one of the year’s most punishing traffic ordeals this week, with some spending the night on the highway as a devastating combination of Kara Bridge repairs and multiple vehicle crashes brought movement to a complete standstill. The gridlock, which stretched from Kara Bridge through Long Bridge, Magboro, and deep into Lagos, left thousands of travellers exhausted, stranded, and in some cases, trekking long distances to reach their destinations.

At the heart of the crisis is the Federal Government’s two-week repair of damaged expansion joints on Kara Bridge—a critical infrastructure project that began on September 8, 2026, and is scheduled to run until September 22. The repairs became necessary because the bridge’s expansion joints had exceeded their service life. These components allow the bridge to safely expand and contract in response to temperature changes and traffic loads. Without replacement, authorities warned, the structure faced risks of cracking or buckling.

The work zone itself covers only about 100 metres. However, the traffic consequences have been catastrophic because Kara Bridge serves as one of the principal gateways between Lagos, Ogun State, and the wider South-West region. The repair strategy involves closing one half of the affected section while vehicles share the remaining half under traffic control. After approximately one week, the work shifts to the other half. While the bridge remains technically open, the reduced capacity has created a bottleneck on a corridor that carries an estimated 200,000 commuters daily.

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The situation escalated dramatically on Tuesday, September 15, when a 40-foot container truck suffered a mechanical fault while in motion, causing the driver to lose control and ram into six other vehicles. The crash involved a 40-foot container truck without registration, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander, and a Mitsubishi Hilux. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) dispatched its LRT Tiger Squad to the scene at 6:05 a.m., coordinating recovery efforts with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Nigeria Police Force. All affected vehicles were eventually cleared, and fortunately, no deaths or injuries were recorded in this particular incident.

Compounding the crisis, a container-laden trailer fell on Kara Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, forcing a total closure of the Lagos-bound section. Motorists heading in the opposite direction were forced to share a single side of the expressway. Authorities responded by removing barriers from a section initially closed for repairs to create an alternative passage.

The numbers tell only part of the story. For thousands of commuters, the experience was nothing short of traumatic. One entrepreneur, Nisak Akpan, described what should have been a 15-minute journey from Ojodu Berger turning into a seven-hour ordeal. She eventually gave up and checked into a hotel. “I spent seven hours at Ojodu Berger area, just trying to connect the express. I had to find a hotel to sleep. That was 15 minutes away from home on a normal day,” she recounted. Another motorist reported being stuck in traffic from 8 p.m. Tuesday and was “just still at Berger” the following morning. A truck driver heading to Aba said he was still stuck at Ikeja at 3 a.m. Wednesday, having spent the entire night on the road.

With vehicles stationary for hours, many commuters abandoned their journeys and resorted to walking. One commuter said: “I am headed to Mowe and I have been trekking for over three hours”. Another recounted trekking from New Garage to Berger after the traffic became unbearable. A third declared: “I trekked to work this morning. Never done it in my life. And the traffic is at a standstill”.

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Commercial transport operators capitalised on the desperation, with fares skyrocketing by as much as 150 per cent on some routes. The Berger to Oshodi route rose to ₦4,000, while Berger to Mowe climbed to ₦3,500. The Magboro to Berger route increased to ₦2,000, and Agege to OPIC reached ₦1,500. One stranded commuter, Mr Aina Abiola, said he was stuck at Ojodu Berger without enough money for the inflated fares: “I didn’t leave home with extra money. I’m now stranded… Commercial bus drivers have hiked fares by as much as 150 per cent. I am stranded and don’t have extra cash on me”.

The gridlock’s consequences extended far beyond individual frustration. With employees unable to reach their offices, companies along the affected corridors activated flexible work arrangements to salvage productivity. Adele Oluwagbenga, an HR manager at a media company in Ogudu GRA, implemented a structured remote work policy: 60–70 per cent of staff working from home two to three times weekly, 20–30 per cent on hybrid schedules, and only 10–20 per cent on-site for essential operations. “The key principle should be we are not reducing work but changing where and when work is performed so that traffic does not reduce productivity,” he explained.

HR experts warned that forcing employees through hours of gridlock has serious consequences. Segun Adeyemi, a senior HR consultant, noted: “Forcing staff to sit in three to four hours of gridlock before starting their workday drastically erodes mental health, lowers output, and increases burnout”. Dr Yetunde Kanu, an organisational psychologist, added that “chronic commuting stress directly correlates with workforce absenteeism and rising health claims”. The Kara-OPIC corridor carries a massive volume of commercial vehicles and goods between Lagos, Ogun State, and other parts of the country. The prolonged gridlock trapped industrial haulage trucks, further straining supply chains and regional commerce.

The Kara Bridge crisis did not occur in isolation. Just days earlier, on September 4, 2026, a separate crash on the Long Bridge—part of the same expressway—claimed three lives and injured ten others. According to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), a vehicle plunged from the Long Bridge into a ditch near Mikano, inward Lagos. The crash involved three vehicles: a Toyota bus, a Toyota Corolla, and a Mazda bus. 16 people were involved—12 males and 4 females. Ten sustained injuries, while three female adults were confirmed dead. Eyewitnesses attributed the crash to excessive speeding and loss of control. This followed an even deadlier incident on August 25, when seven people were killed in a multiple crash involving three vehicles around the Kara area.

Traffic and emergency agencies have been deployed along the corridor, including LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority), FRSC (Federal Road Safety Corps), TRACE (Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps), the Nigeria Police Force, and LASEMA (Lagos State Emergency Management Agency). LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that recovery operations were coordinated to prevent secondary crashes and clear affected vehicles.

As of Wednesday morning, LASTMA reported that traffic was moving slowly from Otedola Bridge towards Berger and Kara, down to the OPIC turning. However, a significant backlog of vehicles continued to stretch beyond Long Bridge. The agency deployed additional personnel to the OPIC turning to manage the situation. Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, had previously urged motorists to plan their journeys and cooperate with traffic managers. He explained that the repair strategy was designed to minimise impact, with one half of the affected section closed at a time. Authorities have advised motorists to leave home earlier than usual, consider alternative routes where possible, cooperate with traffic officials, and avoid driving against traffic, which worsens congestion. For those able to avoid the Kara section entirely, authorities suggested the Ikorodu–Ogijo route as an alternative corridor between Lagos and Ogun State, depending on final destinations.

The Kara Bridge remains one of Nigeria’s most critical—and most vulnerable—transport arteries. While the current repairs are necessary for long-term safety, the crisis has exposed the fragility of a corridor operating at maximum capacity with minimal redundancy. For now, commuters along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway face a difficult two weeks. The question many are asking is not just when the repairs will finish, but whether Nigeria’s infrastructure planning can ever get ahead of the crises that keep repeating. As one frustrated motorist put it: “When will they fix it permanently?”