Major highway link to Sydney closed

Rod Corfe, Minister Jenny Aitchison and Roy Butler on air at 2WEB. Ian Cole TWH

Story: Ian Cole TWH

The Great Western Highway, the main route between Sydney and western NSW, will remain closed for at least three months after experts identified serious structural issues.

The Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Jenny Aitchison said the situation was ‘incredibly serious’, prompting the government to schedule extra trains, buses and coach services.

“This is not a short-term repair job, and we should not expect a quick fix,” Ms Aitchison said.

The problem first came to light two weeks ago when Transport for NSW workers noticed cracks on Mitchell’s Causeway, commonly known as the Convict Bridge, and closed the eastbound lanes as a precaution.

After engineers monitored the structure and found further cracking and movement in the bridge, which dates to the 1830s, NSW authorities closed the highway entirely.

“We are dealing with a major geotechnical failure on a fragile and historic section of road, and it must be assessed and repaired properly,” Ms Aitchison said.

Ms Aitchison told 2WEB that this is difficult news for affected communities, but people deserve honesty and clarity. […]

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