A NSW truckie has shared his concerns over “sinking” bridges that he crosses on his runs from Grafton to Brisbane.
Keith Hawken told Big Rigs that there is a bridge at Ferry Park on the Pacific Motorway that needs to be repaired.
“I go over that bridge every night and I have to slow right down to 60km/h,” he told Big Rigs.
“There’s a decent bump and it jars you in the cab. It seems to be sinking.
“I’ve seen a trailer there with a lost wheel, and a couple of sheets of steel as well.
“I’ve also seen a couple of skid marks where the airlines have come off, where blokes have pulled up after it. It’s a bit worrying.”
Hawken said there is another bridge on the same motorway, at the back of Maclean, where the abutments have cracked.
“You can see the concrete is cracking because it has dropped,” he said.
Hawken said that Transport for NSW is aware of both of these issues, but hasn’t done much about it.
“I’ve seen surveyors looking at the cracked abutments, they come out every few months,” he said.
“They know it’s dropping but they haven’t fixed it yet.
“They also know about the Ferry Park bridge issue, it’s been that way for years.
“All they have done is put a ‘Rough Surface’ sign to cover themselves.”
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW told Big Rigs: “Transport for NSW is aware of the issues related to bridges south of Maclean.
“Motorists are assured the bridges themselves are not sinking; rather, the embankment approaches to the bridges are built over soft foundations and are known to be susceptible to settlement.
“Transport for NSW is currently investigating required maintenance work, which will address the correction of the settlement, and is working to schedule this maintenance as soon as possible.”