The Federal Government has announced a six-week partial closure of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway to facilitate urgent rehabilitation work on key bridges along one of Nigeria’s busiest highway corridors. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Works, citing growing safety concerns and structural failures on expansion joints at three major bridges.
Speaking to journalists at the Kara Bridge site in Ogun State, the Federal Controller of Works, Michael Komolafe, said the decision to partially close sections of the expressway had become necessary after repeated complaints from motorists about prolonged traffic gridlocks and the deteriorating state of the bridges. He extended an apology to road users for the inconvenience the closure might cause, adding that enhanced traffic management plans would be put in place to help ease disruptions.
Komolafe explained that the expansion joints on Kara Bridge, Magboro Bridge and Arepo-Punch Bridge had deteriorated significantly, creating hazardous conditions that had been linked to several crashes on the route. “The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has directed that urgent repairs be carried out” to prevent further incidents and improve safety for motorists, he said.
Officials said that work is already underway on parts of the bridges, especially on the Lagos-bound sections of Magboro and Arepo-Punch bridges, where repairs have been completed. The focus will now shift to the Ibadan-bound lanes as the project progresses. At Kara Bridge, half of the Lagos-bound expansion joint has been addressed, and crews are preparing to tackle the remaining section as part of this next phase of work.
Commenting on the repair schedule, Andy Duan, the General Manager of CBC Construction Company, the contractor handling the project, said full rehabilitation work is expected to begin on Monday, following the mobilisation of equipment over the weekend. He outlined that each of the three bridges would be repaired in phases, with provisions such as barriers, warning lights, traffic signs and other safety measures to be installed to protect both workers and road users throughout the six-week period. “We expect to complete half of each expansion joint within a week,” Duan said, underscoring the phased nature of operations.
In his remarks, the Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kehinde Hamzat, urged motorists to remain patient and to comply with traffic regulations during the period of the partial closure. He warned that driving against traffic or flouting safety directives would attract sanctions, noting that the repairs were a necessary step to prevent further deterioration of the bridges and to reduce the incidence of road accidents.
The partial closure, a measure meant to balance essential infrastructure repairs with traffic flow, underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to maintain the structural integrity of Nigeria’s critical transport corridors, even as they grapple with congestion and safety challenges on major routes like the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
