Lagos bridge still closed four months after opening

Months after the Opebi-Mende Link Bridge in Lagos State was opened, it is still shut to drivers. People expected it would help with traffic and connect Ojota, Maryland, Mende, Opebi, and Ikeja better, but that has not happened.

A visit to the bridge site by PUNCH Metro on Saturday showed that access to the bridge is still blocked. Workers are still doing construction on parts of the project.

The bridge was inaugurated in April 2026 during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Lagos. It was supposed to link Opebi directly to Ojota, which would ease traffic on the roads nearby.

But more than four months after the opening, drivers and commuters are still waiting to enjoy the benefits of the bridge.

One reason for the ongoing closure is the need to finish other works and traffic-management systems around the bridge. Though the main structure of the bridge looks mostly finished, the roads leading to it are still not open.

A commuter named Jeremiah said the bridge has only been used during the opening ceremony. Another road user, Damilola Taiwo, shared that he tried to use the road twice but had to turn back because it was blocked.

"I have tried to use the road twice, but I had to turn back due to the road blockage," he said.

A passer-by, Mr. Ismail, mentioned that the road is important for drivers going between Maryland and Opebi but is still closed as work continues. "The road leads to Maryland and Opebi. They once opened it, but they closed it again because they’re still doing some work on it. They will still put a bus stop there," he said.

An engineer at the site confirmed that the bridge has not opened yet for motorists because construction is still happening underneath it. "They are still working on the bridge. Work is still in progress. Once they finish, it will be fully inaugurated and opened," the engineer said.

He mentioned that completing the remaining work could take up to three months, noting that engineers are still busy under the bridge.

For drivers, this continued closure is not just a small issue. Traffic is still heavy on the existing roads that the project was meant to improve.

Another commuter, Mr. Matthew, urged the Lagos State Government to speed up the project and open the road for drivers. "Government is carrying out the project to free traffic on the roads because Lagos is a cosmopolitan state. Work is still in progress to perfect the bridge construction. I will plead with the Lagos State Government to take action and hasten the contractors so that the road can be opened for vehicular use," he said.

With the bridge already officially opened, Lagos drivers are still waiting for the promised relief from traffic as construction work goes on. When we called the Lagos State Ministry of Works for an official comment, the spokesperson, Adeshina Odunuga, said the number we called was a 'wrong number.'