Commuters experienced severe traffic congestion along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Wednesday morning after a Mack truck suffered a mechanical failure at the Otedola Bridge.
The PUNCH reported that what initially appeared to be a minor battery problem quickly turned into a major disruption when the truck overturned during a private recovery effort, spilling two 20-foot containers onto the highway.
The fallen containers completely blocked the road, bringing traffic to a standstill in both directions and creating a long queue of vehicles that stretched as far back as the Kara Bridge.
However, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority later confirmed that the situation had been brought under control after the containers were removed from the road.
In a statement on Wednesday, the agency confirmed,“The two containerised boxes have been successfully recovered and removed from the roadway. Traffic is moving very fast. Our officers are still on the ground, managing traffic and ensuring smooth vehicular movement.”
The statement stated that, the Mack truck “developed a battery/mechanical fault on Otedola Bridge inward Secretariat.”
During an attempted private recovery operation, the truck overturned, causing the containers to fall onto the highway and trigger heavy traffic on both the inward and outward lanes of the expressway.
The agency said it deployed a heavy-duty tow truck to the scene, while a crane was also mobilised to assist in clearing the obstruction.
LASTMA further disclosed that its Rescue and Recovery Team was present at the scene to coordinate vehicle removal and regulate traffic.
Officials noted that the traffic backlog had earlier extended beyond Kara Bridge while recovery work was ongoing, but assured motorists that the highway had now been cleared and normal vehicular movement restored.
