FG to begin two-week rehabilitation of Kara Bridge September 8
The federal government will commence a two-week rehabilitation of the damaged expansion joints on the Kara bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on September 8.
Richard Adeleye, acting federal controller of works in Ogun state, announced the commencement date on Saturday after inspecting the affected section of the expressway.
Adeleye said the intervention is necessary to replace deteriorated expansion joints that had exceeded their expected service life and were contributing to safety concerns for motorists.
According to him, one half of the affected carriageway would initially be closed to traffic, while vehicles would move slowly on the other side under controlled conditions.
He added that the work would then shift to the opposite section after about a week.
“There will be traffic control here from the 8th of this month, which will last for two weeks, precisely because of the curing that is expected before it is opened to traffic,” Adeleye said.
“We will first work on half of the expansion joint to allow traffic to go slowly on the other half of the carriageway. After one week, we will switch to the other end.”
He said personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, among other agencies, are expected to coordinate traffic during the rehabilitation.
Adeleye said that expansion joints are installed on bridges to absorb movement caused by temperature changes and prevent structural stress.
He warned that failure to repair damaged joints could lead to more serious structural defects, including cracking and buckling.
“Without expansion joints on the bridge, there could be serious damage to the bridge itself because of expansion due to the heat during the day and shrinking during the cold times of the day,” he said.
“The expansion joint absorbs that movement of the bridge; otherwise, it can cause serious damage by buckling or cracking.”
Adeleye assured motorists that the project was expected to be completed within two weeks, “all things being equal”, adding that the replacement joints were projected to remain serviceable for between 10 and 20 years.
He said the construction zone would cover approximately 100 metres and appealed to motorists to exercise patience while the work lasted.
“It is better done now because it has been causing a lot of accidents. We have witnessed it, even the last time we came here. It happened right here in our presence,” Adeleye said.
He advised motorists travelling towards Ibadan to consider alternative routes, including the Ogijo-Ikorodu corridor and roads around the Sango and Abeokuta axes where suitable.
Motorists who opt to remain on the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway will, however, be allowed to pass through the construction zone under traffic control.
The federal ministry of works had in July suspended indefinitely the planned rehabilitation of a section of the bridge.
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