Emergency repairs ordered to Harbour Bridge
Posted: Tuesday, 21 February 2012 | By: Robert Furolo
The O'Farrell Government has ordered emergency repairs to Lane 2 of the Harbour Bridge this afternoon after an alert member of the public raised the alarm by contacting the NSW Opposition.
Workers from Roads and Maritime Services are frantically fixing the surface, believed to be on the bridge's southern end – which is marred by a 30-centimetre-wide pothole and scuffed-up bitumen.
The surface – laid while the Bridge was closed to motorists for two weekends in January – is just four weeks old.
"The Premier has been crowing about what a good job he did resurfacing the Harbour Bridge – yet four weeks later he's ordered emergency repairs," Shadow Minister for Roads Robert Furolo said today.
"How could a bitumen surface be in trouble four weeks after it was laid with such huge fanfare?
"This is a serious embarrassment for the Government – and an inconvenience to motorists going about their lives on a busy Tuesday. Taxpayers won't appreciate the further impost – four weeks after the job was meant to be done and dusted.
"The hardy pioneers who laid the original Sydney Harbour Bridge surface in 1932 did a better job than Barry O'Farrell and Duncan Gay managed in 2012.
"Congestion in Sydney is just getting worse under Barry O'Farrell and the Premier needs to reassure all motorists who rely on the Harbour Bridge that the newly laid surface will last the distance.
"The Government has hundreds of staff who should have been on top of this project. Yet it took an alert member of the public to force the Government to fix its own shoddy job.
"Duncan Gay's office was notified of flaws in the surface on Monday – yet only acted after the media picked up the matter on Tuesday.
"The Minister needs to ensure that this type of fiasco never happens again."
Gloating
"I should mention that we successfully resurfaced the Sydney Harbour Bridge—our State’s greatest icon." Barry O'Farrell, February 14, 2012
"This has been a terrific job …" Duncan Gay, February 15, 2012
Tags: Barry O'Farrell, Harbour Bridge, roads, Robery Furolo, Sydney, traffic