Motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway endured more than 14 hours of heavy traffic on Tuesday following a seven-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge, which compounded ongoing repair works in the area.
The accident occurred in the early hours of the day and initially affected traffic heading towards Ogun State. The resulting congestion later spread beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and into Lagos.
The situation was further worsened after some motorists drove against traffic in an attempt to escape the gridlock, creating additional obstruction for vehicles heading towards Lagos.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its LRT Tiger Squad stationed at C3 was alerted at about 6:05am and dispatched to the scene.
LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said the vehicles involved included a 40-foot container truck, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and a Mitsubishi Hilux.
According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the container truck developed a mechanical fault while in motion, causing the driver to lose control and crash into the other six vehicles.
LASEMA said it coordinated the emergency response with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Nigeria Police Force, while private towing trucks were deployed to assist in removing the damaged vehicles.
The agency said all the vehicles were eventually moved from the carriageway to the roadside and that no death or injury was recorded.
However, the traffic situation deteriorated as some motorists began using the wrong lane to escape the blockage. A motorist identified as Jude said those driving against traffic occupied three lanes at one point, leaving only one lane for vehicles travelling towards Lagos.
Another motorist said he spent more than five hours in the traffic after entering the gridlock around 11am and eventually missed an appointment.
Although the removal of the crashed vehicles eased traffic around Kara Bridge, motorists who had driven against traffic created another bottleneck around the OPIC section while attempting to rejoin the proper lane.
A traffic official, who spoke anonymously, blamed the fresh congestion on the large number of vehicles that had moved against traffic.
By 5pm, the traffic had stretched beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro. Checks around 7pm showed that the congestion had extended towards Iyana-Oworo, with slow movement also reported on the Third Mainland Bridge.
LASTMA spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq said another accident at the Kara axis later in the evening further worsened the situation, adding that LASTMA officials remained at the scene.
The prolonged traffic also led to an increase in transport fares along affected routes.
Passengers travelling from Iyana-Oworo to Berger reportedly paid as much as N2,000, compared with the usual N500 to N700 fare. The fare from Iyana-Oworo to Mowe also rose to about N3,000 from the regular N1,200.
The incident occurred while repair work was ongoing on damaged expansion joints on the Kara Bridge. The repairs have reduced available road space and contributed to recurring delays along the busy Lagos-Ibadan corridor.
The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency also confirmed that the crash had worsened the traffic situation, with traffic officials deployed to manage movement along the route.
Source: PUNCH
