Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: FG begins Kara Bridge repairs Tuesday, deploys traffic agencies

Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: FG begins Kara Bridge repairs Tuesday, deploys traffic agencies

 

Motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway should brace for fresh traffic disruption as the Federal Government begins a two-week repair of the damaged expansion joints on the Kara Bridge from Tuesday, September 8.

The Federal Ministry of Works announced the planned intervention on Saturday, saying traffic control measures would be introduced throughout the repair period to minimise congestion and protect motorists.

The Acting Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, Ogun State, Engr. Richard Adeleye, disclosed this during an inspection of the affected section of the expressway.

Adeleye said the expansion joints had exceeded their service life and had become a safety concern for motorists using the heavily trafficked highway.

He explained that the repair would be executed in phases, with one half of the affected section closed at a time while traffic is allowed to move slowly on the other half.

“There will be traffic control here from the 8th of this month, which will last for two weeks, precisely because of the curing that is expected before it is opened to traffic,” Adeleye said.

According to him, the first half of the expansion joint would be repaired for about a week before work would be switched to the other end, allowing traffic to continue throughout the exercise.

He said personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, among other agencies, would be deployed to manage traffic around the construction zone.

Adeleye explained that expansion joints are critical components of bridges, designed to absorb movement caused by temperature changes.

He warned that failure to replace damaged joints could result in more serious structural defects, including buckling and cracking of the bridge.

“Without expansion joints on the bridge, there could be serious damage to the bridge itself because of expansion due to the heat during the day and shrinking during the cold times of the day,” he said.

“The expansion joint absorbs that movement of the bridge; otherwise, it can cause serious damage by buckling or cracking.”

The controller assured motorists that the rehabilitation would be completed within two weeks, “all things being equal.”

He appealed to road users to exercise patience and comply with traffic directives during the exercise, noting that the damaged expansion joint had contributed to accidents along the section.