Severe vehicular traffic has grounded movement along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway following the commencement of a two-week emergency repair project on the expansion joints of Kara Bridge.
​The rehabilitation work, directed by Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, began on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, and is scheduled to run through September 22, 2026. The project requires a partial closure of the carriageway, forcing traffic onto a single, shared lane section.
​By Wednesday morning, September 9, 2026, gridlock had extended over several kilometers from the Kara Bridge axis in Ogun State through the Berger corridor, reaching back to the 7Up Junction, Secretariat Bus Stop, and the Otedola Underpass in Lagos. Commuters coming from Ikeja and Agege via Otunba Jobi Fele Way were similarly caught in hours-long standstills.
​Addressing the situation, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, appealed to the public for patience.
​”To minimize the impact on traffic, one half of the affected section will be closed at a time while motorists share the open half interchangeably,” Osiyemi noted, urging commuters to plan alternative routes and allow extra travel time.
​Echoing the advisory, Babatunde Akinbiyi, Spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), stated that traffic managers had anticipated significant delays along the corridor.
​”We anticipated that there would be traffic, which is why we issued an advisory earlier,” Akinbiyi explained. “The repair works are essential for the structural integrity of the bridge and the long-term safety of road users. We appeal to motorists to cooperate with traffic management personnel on the ground.”
​Joint task teams comprising officers from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), TRACE, and security agencies remain stationed along key choke points to manage lane merges and prevent total gridlock until the planned completion date on September 22.
