Motorists Stranded as Floor Takes Over Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Long Bridge

 

By Nurat Uthman

Following a downpour in parts of Lagos and Ogun states on Monday, the Long Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was submerged, causing motorists and commuters to be stranded in the gridlock induced by the slow-paced movements of vehicles plying the bridge to navigate their destinations in the states.

One of the stranded motorists, who gave his name simply as Bakare, said the gridlock induced by the floodwater on the bridge made him spend hours on a journey that should have lasted minutes.

He said, “The gridlock was terrible; it was not easy because of the volume of the flood on the bridge which affected the movements of vehicles. The flood can damage vehicles and I saw some vehicles had broken down on the bridge.

“I encountered the gridlock on the bridge around 4pm on my way to work and I got out of it around 6.31pm. The flood was on the bridge because the openings to drain the flood had been blocked.”

In a trending video recorded by a yet-to-be-identified person plying the bridge on Monday, vehicles were seen moving at snail’s speed on the submerged bridge to avoid accidents.

In the video titled ‘Warning, Long Bridge is flooded, slow down’, it was observed that the floodwater rose to the level of the barricades at both sides of the bridge, indicating that the bridge had no outlet to empty the floodwater occasioned by the torrential rainfall.

The situation caused gridlock that left many motorists and commuters stranded for hours on major roads in the metropolis.

While the rain which started around midday in some parts of the metropolis was still falling, the National Emergency Management Agency, in a statement by its Lagos Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, issued an advisory cautioning residents, motorists, teachers and school proprietors, among others, on the need to exercise restraint during and after the downpour.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, during a recent press briefing, asked residents of 23 flood-prone communities including Akute Isheri, Mowe, Ibafo, and other border communities between Lagos and Ogun States to temporarily relocate to avoid loss of lives and property due to flooding.

He said, “The second season will have a prolonged impact in wetlands such as Alagbole, Akute, Isheri, Warewa, Oke-Afa, Mowe, Ibafo, Kara, Onihale, Ebute Kimobi and Riverside Estate. These areas will witness coastal flooding due to the tidal lock of the Ogun River by Lagos Lagoon from the natural rise in sea level coupled with the possible release of excessive water from the Oya dam. Residents of these areas should be prepared to relocate temporarily from these areas during the second season of rainfall if required.”