Kara Bridge Partial Closure Begins as FG, Lagos Tackle Defective Expansion Joints

​Motorists and commuters plying the vital Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor are facing significant travel adjustments today as the Federal Ministry of Works officially kicks off urgent rehabilitation works on the critical Kara-Berger Bridge.

​The two-week engineering intervention, targeted at replacing severely worn-out and compromised expansion joints across a 100-metre stretch of the bridge, got underway following growing safety concerns. Transport authorities noted that the aging joints—which had long exceeded their optimal service life—were not only causing structural stress such as potential buckling, but were also directly linked to an uptick in vehicular accidents along the busy interstate gateway.

​In response to the development, the Lagos State Government, through the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, issued an advisory urging travellers to map out their journeys ahead of time. To mitigate traffic gridlock on the nation’s busiest economic artery, the intervention is being executed under a phased traffic management plan. Contractors have closed off one half of the affected section at a time, allowing motorists to share the remaining open lane interchangeably.

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​A multi-agency security and traffic control framework—comprising the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE)—has been deployed to the corridor to streamline movement and manage peak-hour bottlenecks.

​While the Federal Ministry of Works anticipates wrapping up the concrete casting, curing, and total rehabilitation by September 22, 2026, officials have advised long-distance commuters and commercial drivers heading towards Ibadan to explore alternative corridors—such as the Ikorodu-Ogijo Road or alternate routes via Sango-Ota and Abeokuta—where feasible. Motorists remaining on the core expressway are urged to exercise maximum discipline, observe reduced speed limits, and cooperate fully with traffic managers to ensure the project meets its strict two-week completion timeline.