Motorists trapped in gridlock as Lagos closes Third Mainland Bridge

Lagos road users on Wednesday expressed their frustration over the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge after being trapped in traffic for hours.

The Lagos State Government had on Tuesday said the Island-Iyana Oworo bound lane of the Third Mainland Bridge would be shut for 36 hours for maintenance work.

The state Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, in a statement, said the closure of the Island-Iyana Oworo bound lane would take effect from 12.00 am on Wednesday till 12.00 noon on Thursday, March 7, 2024.

Osiyemi said consequently, motorists plying this route were advised to use the alternative routes previously provided during this period.

He further noted that the initial traffic diversion arrangements on the bridge would return after this 36 hour closure.

Motorists heading back to the Mainland on Wednesday however had a hectic time connecting back to their destination due to the traffic congestion along the alternative routes.

According Metro learnt that the motorists spent over four hours in the traffic stretching from Lekki, through Victoria Island all the way through to Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge

@madikevictor who lamented over the development via his X handle said,  “I left Island at 4:20pm, climbed third mainland bridge at 9:13pm. I’m losing my mind mehn. Lagos. Why did they even close the bridge initially sef?” In what was seen trending on the X platform other users also narrated their experiences about the gridlock.

Another road user who spoke to our correspondent said she had spent close to five hours in the traffic.

“I have spent nothing less than five hours in this traffic since I left the Island before evening,” she said.

Our correspondent gathered that the bridge was later reopened for the road users due to the outrage caused by the congestion.

A user @Riddwane, who disclosed this on the X platform wrote, “Due to the traffic congestion on Eko Bridge and Western Avenue this evening, Third Mainland Bridge has just been re-opened for motorists leaving the Island for Mainland. So, the vehicle can now ply 3MB from Adeniji to Iyana Oworo.”

The Lagos State government had announced Wednesday night that the bridge would be opened for motorists commuting from the Mainland to the Island while it will be closed all day for commuters moving from the Island to the mainland.

It noted that the previous arrangement will return on Thursday from 1pm to 12 am from the Island to the Mainland.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olukorede Keisha, on October 2023 revealed plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the bridge’s asphalt layers.