The Federal Government will commence a two-week rehabilitation of the damaged expansion joints on the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on September 8.
Richard Adeleye, Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, disclosed this on Saturday after inspecting the affected section of the expressway.
Adeleye said the rehabilitation became necessary following the deterioration of the expansion joints, which had exceeded their expected service life and posed safety concerns to motorists.
He explained that the work would be carried out in phases to minimise disruption to traffic. According to him, one half of the affected section would initially be closed while motorists use the other half under strict traffic control.
“There will be traffic control here from the 8th of this month, which will last for two weeks, precisely because of the curing that is expected before it is opened to traffic,” Adeleye said.
He added, “We will first work on half of the expansion joint to allow traffic to go slowly on the other half of the carriageway. After one week, we will switch to the other end.”
The controller said personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and other relevant agencies would be deployed to manage traffic throughout the rehabilitation.
Adeleye explained that expansion joints are designed to accommodate the natural movement of bridge structures caused by temperature changes.
He warned that failure to replace damaged expansion joints could result in serious structural problems, including buckling and cracking of the bridge.
“Without expansion joints on the bridge, there could be serious damage to the bridge itself because of expansion due to the heat during the day and shrinking during the cold times of the day,” he said.
“The expansion joint absorbs that movement of the bridge; otherwise, it can cause serious damage by buckling or cracking,” he added.
Adeleye assured motorists that the rehabilitation would be completed within two weeks, “all things being equal.”
He appealed to road users to exercise patience and cooperate with traffic management personnel during the construction, noting that the damaged expansion joint had contributed to accidents along the section.
