Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: FG reopens entire Kara Bridge to traffic

The Federal Government on Sunday reopened the entire Kara Bridge inbound and outbound sections on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to traffic after completing reconstruction works on the bridge, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
NAN reports that site preparation toward the total reopening began on Saturday with a final inspection of the project by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
When NAN visited the site on Sunday, a heavy deployment of Federal Roads Safety Corps officials was noticed.
This was to give support to construction workers removing diversion barriers.
The workmen removed demarcations on various sections of the 600 metres outbound Lagos carriageway, where traffic was diverted between Kara Bridge and Isheri Junction intersection.
All debris and construction materials were cleaned up before FRSC at exactly 1:40pm. led a motorcade that led motorists outbound Lagos into the newly completed 600 metres stretch.
Motorists inbound Lagos felt eased as gridlock on the lane disappeared immediately, with each lane, totalling 1.2km, was opened to traffic without merging at any point.
Some elated road users who spoke to NAN praised the Federal Government and the contractors of the project.
They, however, called for speedy completion of the entire Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor.
Sadia Aturu, a resident of Magboro, said the opening of the Kara Bridge would remove all the hardships and avoidable accidents on the highway.
Aturu said: “Last week, my husband slept on this road.
“He could not get home because there was an accident.
“We thank the government for this work, but they should do more because we are really suffering on this road.”
A commercial motorcycle operator, Nura Yahaya, lauded the construction, which he noted would reduce the congestion that made passengers patronise commercial motorcyclists on the highway.
Malam Ibrahim Kasimu-Zaria, a perishable foodstuffs dealer, praised the Federal Government for the repair, saying: “Goods can now arrive Lagos on time.”
Kasimu-Zaria, however, appealed for speedy completion of other sections on the highway to boost commercial activities and reduce travel time.
NAN reports that diversion of traffic on the first section began with the partial closure of the inbound Lagos portion on the Kara Bridge on September 2, 2019.
On December 1, 2019, construction on the inbound Lagos was completed, but work on the outbound Lagos was suspended due to the Yuletide, hence the opening of the entire highway to traffic.
Work resumed on January 14, 2020 with the partial closure of the outbound Lagos portion on the Kara Bridge, resulting in another traffic diversion, which compounded gridlock on the axis.
However, the construction of the portion was completed on Saturday, leading to site preparation toward the total reopening of both the 600 metres outbound and 600 metres inbound carriageways.