Residents and commuters in Ikotun, Ejigbo, Isheri, Bucknor, and Jakande areas of Lagos were stranded for over five hours on Tuesday morning following the sudden closure of the Isolo Bridge for emergency repair works.
The unannounced closure caused massive traffic congestion on adjoining routes, forcing thousands of commuters to trek long distances to their workplaces. Vehicular movement from Jakande towards Isolo was completely cut off, while the opposite lane from Isolo to Jakande was equally blocked after several motorists driving against traffic worsened the gridlock.
As of 8:00 a.m., only a few traffic officers were seen attempting to control the chaotic situation. Frustrated motorists and residents decried what they described as poor traffic management by state authorities.
One of the construction workers on site explained that the repair work was initially scheduled to take place overnight but was delayed due to equipment failure.
“We wanted to do the repair work at night, but our equipment developed a fault,” the worker told Vanguard. “We only managed to fix it this morning, and since the materials for the job had already been prepared, we had to proceed immediately. If we delay, the materials will be damaged.”
Attempts by stranded commuters to convince the engineers to open one lane for movement were rejected. A site engineer reportedly insisted that the newly laid asphalt would need at least three hours to dry before vehicles could pass. Tempers flared as frustrated commuters, trekking through the blocked section under the scorching sun, hurled insults at the workers.
Relief eventually came later in the morning when police officers from the Idimu Division arrived at the scene and persuaded the construction team to open a single lane to ease traffic flow.
As of the time of filing this report, traffic had started moving slowly across the Isolo Bridge, though adjoining roads were still heavily congested.
