UPGRADES to Swansea Bridge are urgently needed to prevent the kind of tragedy that was narrowly averted in Wednesday night’s car crash, a Lake Macquarie councillor says.
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Councillor John Gilbert cited Wednesday night’s accident, in which Salt Ash woman Deb Moroney escaped her sinking car after crashing through a guard rail into the Swansea Channel, and other near-misses as evidence the surface of the bridge needs to be improved.
“One day, someone is going to get killed down there on that bridge,” Cr Gilbert said.
“Immediately, [Roads and Maritime Services] needs to look at that northbound lane and see why it has undulating surfaces. It’s a straight lane, but people bounce along it at a 90-degree angle.”
Cr Gilbert, whose son Caleb, 17, came to Ms Moroney’s aid by telling her to swim towards the safety of the channel’s south bank and by calling triple-zero, said he had used council channels to urge the RMS to “review and repair” the bridge’s northbound lane.
Ms Moroney’s Ford Falcon broke through a rail guarding the bridge’s outer northbound lane, but she escaped by winding down one of her power windows and avoiding the suction of her sinking car.
Cr Gilbert, who lives in Swansea, said he had been “smashed” by his constituents wanting action on the bridge since Wednesday night’s accident.
On Thursday afternoon, an RMS spokesman said the NSW government department hadn’t yet received a service request from Lake Macquarie council.
But it had completed repairs to the guard rail on the bridge following the crash, and would examine it into Friday.
“Detailed inspections are being carried out to ensure there is no surface damage to the bridge deck or pedestrian path,” the spokesman said.
“Inspections are expected to be completed on Friday afternoon.”
The bridge was also repaired in July 2014 after another accident in which a northbound car crashed through a barrier and narrowly avoided a fall into the channel below.
On that occasion, three pedestrian fencing panels and two bridge panels were repaired at a cost of about $15,000, the RMS said.
The 2014 accident caused a two-kilometre traffic jam and the closure of northbound lanes for several hours.
Police said it appeared the driver had lost control of the vehicle while trying to change lanes. No one was injured.
Swansea Bridge’s older northbound section was opened in 1955, and the second southbound bridge was opened in 1989.
Both bridges have two lanes for traffic, as well as pedestrian and bike access.
