7-Vehicle Crash At Kara Bridge Triggers 14-Hour Gridlock On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were trapped in gridlock for over 14 hours on Tuesday after a seven-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge compounded ongoing repair works on the bridge. The crash, which occurred in the early hours of the day, disrupted movement toward Ogun State before the congestion spread beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and into Lagos, worsened as impatient motorists began driving against traffic and blocked lanes meant for Lagos-bound vehicles.

LASEMA said its LRT Tiger Squad responded to the scene at 6:05am, with Permanent Secretary Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu identifying the vehicles involved as a 40-foot container truck, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and a Mitsubishi Hilux. He said the truck developed a mechanical fault and rammed into the other six vehicles, though no death or injury was recorded, and all vehicles were eventually recovered and handed to police.

Even after the crash site was cleared, fresh gridlock formed at OPIC as motorists who had driven against traffic attempted to rejoin the correct lane, a situation LASTMA spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq said was worsened by another accident at Kara in the evening. Commuters faced sharply inflated fares, with the Iyana-Oworo to Mowe fare rising from N1,200 to N3,000. TRACE spokesperson Babatunde Akinbiyi confirmed the crash had compounded the situation, citing driver impatience alongside the ongoing bridge repair works that have reduced road space and left the corridor vulnerable to severe congestion.