The Lagos State Government has ordered an emergency closure of the outbound section of Eko Bridge to Lagos Island from 12 May for safety investigations and repair work, a move that will affect one of the city’s busiest links to the island.
The affected stretch runs between Apongbon and Ijora Olopa, and motorists heading toward Lagos Island were told to use the Third Mainland Bridge instead. The inward Lagos Island carriageway will stay open, while traffic and security personnel are to be deployed along alternative routes to keep vehicles moving.
Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Oluwaseun Osiyemi announced the restriction in a travel advisory posted on X on Sunday. In his message, he said that in view of the closure between Apongbon and Ijora Olopa, members of the motoring public should use the Third Mainland Bridge to reach their destinations, and added that the inward Lagos Island carriageway would remain open to motorists.
Eko Bridge is one of the three major bridges linking Lagos Island to the mainland, alongside Carter Bridge and the Third Mainland Bridge, and it carries thousands of commuters each day. The announcement lands as concern grows over the condition of major bridges in Lagos, where the federal government has already said investigations and underwater assessments on key infrastructure exposed serious structural defects that need urgent attention.
That wider review has put pressure on officials to move quickly on bridges seen as critical to the city’s transport network. David Umahi has said some supporting piles beneath Carter Bridge and the Third Mainland Bridge shifted during inspections carried out over the years, and he has ordered investigations into reported structural concerns around Eko Bridge as rehabilitation efforts intensify.
The immediate question for commuters is not whether the closure is serious but how long the detour will hold and whether the repair work restores confidence in a bridge that has become central to daily movement in Lagos. For now, the route is being shut to protect motorists and to allow engineers to examine what is happening beneath the surface.
