The Long Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway was flooded after heavy rains hit parts of Lagos and Ogun states on Monday, leaving drivers and commuters stuck in the traffic jam caused by the slow-moving vehicles.
According to The PUNCH, a motorist who identified himself only as Bakare said he was stuck in traffic for hours because of the flooding on the bridge when the trip should have taken only 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.”
Vehicles were seen travelling at a snail’s pace over the underwater bridge in a viral video filmed on Monday by an unnamed commuter.
Floodwater was shown to rise to the height of the barricades on both sides of the bridge in the video captioned “Warning, Long Bridge is flooded, slow down,” showing that the bridge has no outlet to clear the floodwater caused by the heavy rainfall.
The severe rain that fell in portions of Lagos State on Thursday inundated several roads, residences, and businesses.
The situation generated gridlock, leaving many vehicles and commuters trapped for hours on main city highways.
While the rain, which began around midday in some parts of the metropolis, was still falling, the National Emergency Management Agency issued an advisory cautioning residents, motorists, teachers, and school proprietors, among others, on the need to exercise restraint during and after the downpour.
In the meantime, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, requested that residents temporarily relocate in order to prevent the loss of life and property due to flooding in 23 flood-prone communities, including Akute Isheri, Mowe, Ibafo, and other border communities between Lagos and Ogun States.
