Thousands of residents in the Ikotun, Ejigbo, Isheri, Bucknor, and Jakande areas of Lagos were stranded for more than five hours on Tuesday morning following the sudden closure of the Isolo Bridge for emergency repairs.
The unannounced shutdown brought vehicular movement to a standstill across adjoining routes, forcing many commuters to trek long distances to their workplaces amid heavy congestion.
Traffic was completely grounded from Jakande toward Isolo, while the return lane from Isolo to Jakande was equally blocked after several motorists driving against traffic compounded the situation.
By 8:00am only a few traffic officers were seen attempting to manage the chaos, as frustrated residents and drivers blamed the gridlock on poor coordination by state authorities.
A construction worker on-site said that the team had planned to carry out the repair overnight but encountered equipment failure. “We were supposed to complete the work at night, but one of our machines broke down,” the worker explained. “Once we fixed it this morning, we had to continue immediately because the repair materials were already mixed and could be damaged if delayed.”
Attempts by commuters to convince the engineers to open one lane were unsuccessful, as a site supervisor insisted the newly laid asphalt needed at least three hours to dry before vehicles could pass.
Tempers flared as stranded pedestrians cursed and shouted at the workers while trekking under the scorching morning sun.
Relief eventually came when police officers from the Idimu Division arrived and persuaded the construction team to open a single lane to ease movement.
As of press time, traffic was moving slowly across the bridge, though adjoining roads in Isolo and Ejigbo remained heavily congested.
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