Motorists and commuters travelling along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stranded for more than 14 hours on Tuesday after a multiple-vehicle crash around the Kara Bridge worsened the traffic situation already created by ongoing repair works.
The accident, which occurred in the early hours of the day, involved seven vehicles and initially affected traffic heading towards Ogun State. As the congestion intensified, the traffic stretched beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and eventually spilled into parts of Lagos.
The worsening situation also saw some frustrated motorists driving against traffic in an attempt to bypass the gridlock. The action, however, created another bottleneck for motorists travelling in the opposite direction.
Correspondents who monitored the situation observed that traffic had already built up on the Lagos-bound side as early as 7am, with movement becoming increasingly difficult as more vehicles joined the highway.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its LRT Tiger Squad stationed at C3 was alerted to the incident and dispatched to the scene at 6:05am, arriving within the expected response time.
The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, identified the vehicles involved as 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.
According to Oke-Osanyintolu, preliminary findings indicated that the container truck developed a mechanical fault while in motion, causing its driver to lose control before crashing into the other six vehicles.
The crash came amid ongoing rehabilitation work around the Kara Bridge, further restricting available road space and compounding the traffic disruption.
The prolonged gridlock left commuters facing hours of delay, while motorists were forced to navigate the increasingly congested highway as emergency responders and traffic management authorities worked to restore movement.
