The closure of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos has left road users exasperated as they grapple with hours of traffic congestion and delays.
The Lagos State Government announced the closure of the Island-Iyana Oworo bound lane of the bridge for maintenance work, effective from 12.00 am on Wednesday until 12.00 noon on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Motorists were advised to use alternative routes during this period.
However, the traffic diversion led to significant delays and frustration for commuters heading back to the mainland on Wednesday. Motorists endured hours of gridlock stretching from Lekki through Victoria Island to Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge.
Expressing his frustration, @madikevictor lamented via his X handle, “I left Island at 4:20 pm, climbed third mainland bridge at 9:13 pm. I’m losing my mind mehn. Lagos. Why did they even close the bridge initially sef?” Other users on the X platform shared similar experiences of being stuck in the traffic.
One road user revealed spending close to five hours in the congestion, emphasizing the toll it took on their journey.
In response to the outrage caused by the congestion, the bridge was later reopened for motorists commuting from the Island to the Mainland. @Riddwane shared on the X platform, “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 subsequently announced that the bridge would be opened for Mainland-to-Island commuters while remaining closed for Island-to-Mainland commuters on Thursday. The previous arrangement is expected to resume from Thursday afternoon onwards.