Commuters groan as fuel-laden tanker mishap causes gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

Traffic was grounded on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Sunday after a fuel-laden tanker fell under the Ibafo pedestrian bridge inward Ibadan.

The incident which happened in the early hours of the day left many motorists and commuters frustrated and fuming as they were stranded in a gridlock for hours on end.

To avoid a tragedy, relevant government agencies closed the two lanes of the expressway completely from traffic from the Ibafo end, bringing movement to a standstill.

The situation forced many motorists caught in the gridlock to drive against traffic, thereby further aggravating the chaotic situation.

According to PUNCH, as of 2pm, the traffic jam from Ibafo on the inward Lagos lane had extended beyond the Aseese end of the expressway while that of the inward Ibadan lane had extended towards Berger Bus Stop in Lagos.

The situation propelled many commuters to ditch the vehicles they were travelling in and the drivers to their fate while they resorted to trekking a long distance.

Commercial motorcyclists that operates along the axis, however, made cool cash by conveying desperate and stranded commuters on the expressway, charging exorbitant fares.

The commercial motorcyclists were charging N1,500 per passenger from Ibafo to Berger while conveying at least two passengers at the same time, Punch reports

The situation was the same with motorcyclists who were charging N1,000 per passenger from Ibafo to Mowe.

Hawkers of cold drinks also made brisk business as stranded commuters who have trekked a long distance resorted to buying cold drinks to tackle dehydration and exhaustion occasioned by hours of trekking.

Some of them were seen pouring cold water on their head while taking a short rest under the bridge not too far from the Mountain of Fire Ministries on the highway.

Capitalising on the gridlock on the main bridge, residents in the area mounted a toll in and around a quicksand under the Long Bridge, charging motorists that chose to navigate their ways through the newly-created route as high as N200.

Some helpless motorists were forced to park their vehicles at different available spaces such as car wash centres and filling stations along the road while waiting endlessly for the gridlock to subside.