Some motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have expressed concerns over the damage to some of the expansion joints, both inward and outward, of the Kara bridge section of the expressway.

The motorists expressed their concerns in different interviews with the PUNCH Metro correspondent on Tuesday.

Our correspondent, who visited the area, observed that the rubber cover of the expansion joints had peeled off, while a part of the joints had indicated signs of a pothole.

Several vehicles were seen avoiding the damaged parts of the intersection on the Wawa end of the Long Bridge while those who seemed unaware rammed into it.

Speaking with our correspondent, the motorists expressed concerns that if attention was not paid to the damaged intersection, the consequence could be dire.

A motorist, Wale Dada, disclosed that he had once rammed into the damaged part of the intersection, and he almost got his vehicle damaged in the process.

He expressed concerns that if the damaged portion was not fixed, it could result in a fatality.

Dada said, “Only God knows when repair works will end on this road. I am aware that the joint expansion is faulty, and I hope they will fix it quickly.

“I almost got my vehicle damaged the first time I rammed into the intersection, unaware of the damaged part.”

A commercial driver who identified simply as Tajudeen noted that he had resorted to exercising caution whenever he got to the intersection to avoid damaging his vehicle.

He appealed that the damage be fixed as soon as possible.

“You know that I ply this route almost every day, so I am aware that the joint expansion at the edge of the Kara bridge is not in good condition.

“Each time I pass by, I try to avoid that damaged area because I don’t want my vehicle to get damaged and to avoid an accident.

“I hope that they will fix it quickly before it gets worse.”

Another motorist who did not want to be mentioned in the press expressed similar concerns about the state of the intersection.

He narrated that he had a near-fatal experience after ramming into the damaged intersection.

He said, “It is better to approach from the left or the right side as the middle portion has become eroded with a pothole that is getting deeper and more dangerous.

“I slammed into it yesterday, and it was nearly fatal. My car has not been the same since then.”

They all appealed to the Federal Government and Julius Berger, the construction company in charge of the expressway, to urgently repair the damage.

When contacted for a reaction, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukorede Keesha, could not respond to calls and messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, the Media Relations Manager at Julius Berger, Emmanuel Isibor, did not respond to messages sent to him 24 hours before filing this report.

PUNCH Metro reported on April 23 that the Federal Government promised a repair of the damaged Lotto Bridge along the same expressway.

Kesha, who spoke during an inspection, announced that the section of the expressway where the bridge was damaged would be closed down for repair works.

She expressed concern over the significant damage caused to the bridge, stressing that two of the beams were severely compromised and must be replaced.

However, three months after the inspection, there was no sign of any commencement of the repair.

Also, motorists plying the Ogere axis of the expressway recently experienced several days of gridlock due to repair work carried out on the section of the expressway.

The repair, which involved the scrapping and re-laying of asphalt, left motorists stranded.