Kara Bridge Repairs Trigger Massive Gridlock as Hundreds of Motorists are Stranded

The festive mood of the Sallah holidays has been replaced by frustration for hundreds of motorists as the sudden commencement of repairs on the Kara Bridge expansion joints turned the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway into a massive parking lot on Wednesday.

Gistlife reports that what started as a routine afternoon for outbound travellers quickly spiraled into a “Black Wednesday,” with traffic tailing back as far as the old Lagos Toll Gate by 4:00 PM. Motorists caught in the crossfire of construction and holiday travel have slammed the timing of the project, labeling it a “nightmare” they didn’t sign up for.

The gridlock follows the unexpected return of contractors to the Kara Bridge site to fix critical expansion joints. While the repairs are necessary for safety, the decision to restrict the busiest gateway in Nigeria to just two lanes—mere days before the Sallah festivities—has sparked nationwide criticism.

“We were told this would happen after the holidays,” one stranded driver, Alhaji Idris, told Gistlife. “To start this now, when everyone is trying to get home to their families, is the height of poor planning. People are literally stuck in the heat with no way forward or backward.”

In a bid to prevent a total collapse of movement, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has moved into high gear. Speaking on the crisis, LASTMA spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq confirmed that officials, under the direction of General Manager Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, are stationed at the Kara axis to manage the narrowing lanes.

Their primary focus is ensuring that heavy-duty trucks—which frequently break down under the strain of “stop-and-start” traffic—are cleared immediately to keep the remaining two lanes breathing.