Lagos-Ibadan: Motorists trapped in 14-hour gridlock

Motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were trapped in gridlock for over 14 hours on Tuesday after a multiple-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge compounded ongoing repair works on the bridge.

The crash, which occurred in the early hours of the day, involved seven vehicles and initially disrupted movement towards Ogun State, with the resulting gridlock later stretching beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and into Lagos.

As the congestion worsened, some impatient motorists drove against traffic in an attempt to escape the gridlock, creating another bottleneck for vehicles heading towards Lagos.

Our correspondents observed that motorists travelling from Lagos towards Ogun State were already held up in traffic as early as 7am, while the situation deteriorated as the day progressed.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its LRT Tiger Squad stationed at C3 was dispatched to the scene at 6:05am following a distress call and arrived within the projected response time.

According to the LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the vehicles involved were a 40-foot container truck without a registration number, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and a Mitsubishi Hilux.

He said preliminary investigation showed that the container truck developed a mechanical fault while in motion, causing the driver to lose control and ram into the other six vehicles.

Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA activated its incident management protocol and coordinated the response with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Nigeria Police Force to prevent secondary crashes and manage the traffic situation.

“Private towing trucks were deployed to support the recovery operation, while all the affected vehicles were eventually removed from the carriageway to the roadside. Fortunately, no loss of life or injury was recorded in the incident,” the statement noted.

The LASEMA boss said LASTMA officials remained at the scene to monitor traffic and facilitate the restoration of movement, while the recovered vehicles were handed over to the police for documentation and further necessary action.

However, before the crashed vehicles were cleared, the gridlock had spread towards Lagos as some motorists began driving against traffic to escape the congestion.

A motorist, who identified himself simply as Jude, told PUNCH Metro that motorists who took the one-way route eventually occupied three lanes, leaving only one lane for vehicles travelling towards Lagos.

He said, “The moment the place got blocked, it was a total standstill when the crash occurred. So, vehicles started to take one-way. That was how they blocked the vehicles coming inward Lagos.

“As a matter of fact, those taking one-way occupied three lanes and left the remaining one lane to vehicles coming into Lagos.”

Another motorist said he spent over five hours in the gridlock and missed an appointment.

He said, “I ran into the traffic around 11am, and I am still here. I was scheduled for an appointment but could no longer meet up.”

Although the removal of the crashed vehicles subsequently eased movement towards Kara Bridge, motorists who had driven against traffic created another obstruction at the OPIC end of the road as they attempted to rejoin the proper lane.

A traffic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, attributed the fresh gridlock to the influx of motorists who drove against traffic.

The official said, “The influx of vehicles taking one-way when the crash happened had blocked vehicles coming into Lagos in the process of connecting back to their lane at OPIC. That is what has caused the serious traffic you see now.”

PUNCH Metro observed that vehicles heading towards Lagos were at a standstill and unable to pass the OPIC section because of the congestion created by motorists attempting to reconnect to the main carriageway.

As of 5pm, the gridlock had extended beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro, leaving motorists and commuters stranded for several hours.

Checks by our correspondents as of 7pm also revealed that the gridlock had extended towards Iyana-Oworo in Lagos, with motorists experiencing slow movement on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Also reacting, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday, noted that the traffic was worsened following another accident that occurred at the Kara axis in the evening.

“The traffic was because another accident happened this evening in the same area. LASTMA officers were there till this night,” he said.

The prolonged gridlock also provided an opportunity for transporters to hike fares, with commuters forced to pay significantly more for journeys along the affected routes.

Commuters travelling from Iyana-Oworo to Berger were charged N2,000, compared with the regular fare of between N500 and N700.

Similarly, transport fare from Iyana-Oworo to Mowe rose to N3,000 from the regular N1,200.

The incident occurred amid ongoing repair works on the Kara Bridge, which have already caused significant disruption on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

PUNCH Metro had reported that motorists faced hours of delays after repairs began on damaged expansion joints on the Kara Bridge, with congestion stretching from the bridge towards the 7Up Junction and other parts of the Lagos-bound carriageway.

The repair works have reduced the available road space around the bridge, making the corridor particularly vulnerable to severe congestion whenever crashes, broken-down vehicles or other obstructions occur.

Motorists have expressed concern that the combination of construction activities and roadside obstructions could worsen safety risks and further prolong journey times along the major interstate route.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed that the crash had compounded the traffic situation along the axis.

He said, “Our men, with other traffic officials, are managing the situation. Aside from the impatience on the part of drivers, which had resulted in the gridlock…” (Punch)