Rehabilitation work on the Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is set to resume fully on Wednesday, the Federal Government has announced.
The repairs, which were temporarily suspended on Saturday due to severe gridlock, will recommence with a focus on replacing the expansion joints on the Kara Bridge outbound Lagos — a task officials describe as critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.
The Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, Layi Komolafe, confirmed the development in a statement on Monday, stressing that the work is “a must” and cannot be delayed further.
He called for coordinated traffic management efforts, urging the support of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Lagos State Police Command, and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), among others.
“This is very important as the traffic build-up will mostly affect vehicular movement inside Lagos,” Komolafe noted, appealing to motorists for patience and strict compliance with traffic directives during the exercise.
However, uncertainty remains over the timeline. Some FRSC officials have expressed reservations about whether full-scale work will indeed resume on Wednesday as planned.
Last month, the FRSC indicated that repairs along the expressway could take between six weeks and two months to complete, following consultations with contractors and the Controller of Works. According to the Lagos State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Ganiyu Hamzat, certain repairs require adequate time to properly seal and stabilise.
Hamzat also highlighted safety concerns, noting that deteriorated sections of the road have contributed to avoidable accidents. “Some of the bad portions cause vehicles, while trying to dodge oncoming or unsuspecting vehicles, to ram into one another,” he explained.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway remains one of Nigeria’s busiest and most strategic highways, linking the nation’s commercial hub to the South-East, South-South, and other key regions. Authorities say the rehabilitation is essential to improving safety and ensuring smoother traffic flow along the vital corridor.
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