Third Mainland Bridge closure spreads traffic gridlock on Lagos roads

Commuters moving from the mainland to the Island are now spending longer time commuting from their homes to their offices and business centres following the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for comprehensive repairs by the Federal Government.

The closure of the popular bridge, which is one of the major arteries into Lagos Island from the mainland, started on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, and it is expected to last for seven weeks.

The bridge, which is open from 12 am to 12 noon for motorists moving from the Mainland to the Island, is closed to traffic from noon daily to enable the contractor to resume work.

BusinessDay visit to the bridge on the afternoon of Thursday, January 11, 2024, revealed that the contractor had mobilised to the site as expected and men, trucks and excavators were sighted around the Adeniji Adele, Iyana Oworonshoki axis busy with excavation and other ongoing repair works on the bridge.

Also, heavy traffic gridlock was seen on Ikorodu Road as the majority of the motorists made their way to the alternative routes that include Eko Bridge-Apogbon-CMS and Ikorodu Road- Jibowu -Yaba- Oyingbo-Iddo- Carter Bridge- CMS.

“I always go from Oshodi to Idumota every day and the traffic has been unbearable since last week the Third Mainland Bridge was closed. I used to spend just 15 to 20 minutes to get to Adeniji Adele but now it takes as much as 2 hours to go all the way from Ikorodu Road to connect Eko Bridge,” said Margret Uchechukwu, a Lagos-based businesswoman.

Uchechukwu expressed concern that traffic has resurfaced in Lagos even though business activities have not fully returned from the just concluded Yuletide holidays.

“I used to lap my son in the bus to save the cost of transportation but after carrying him for close to 2 hours on Tuesday, I had to pay for an extra seat for him on Wednesday. A seat from Oshodi to Obalende or Adeniji Adele is N800 and if I pay that to and fro for two persons, how much is my profit for the day?” she questioned.

Bayo Adeyemi, an accountant who works with a firm in Victoria Island, said that after resuming late in the office on Wednesday last week, due to the traffic gridlock from the Mainland to the Island, he now leaves home 2 hours earlier than he used to.

“The traffic these days is now killing and the other day we joined the traffic from Gbagada before Anthony Oke all through Ikorodu Road and it was hell that very day,” Adeyemi said.

Idris Saheed, a commercial bus that operates from Oshodi to Obalende, said that following the long routes to the Island coupled with traffic due to high vehicular movement is an added cost for commercial bus drivers who spend more on fueling the bus and also lose man-hours due to longer travel time.