Sydney's M4 tunnel shut over fears concrete roofing could fall onto vehicles
Motorists experienced lenghty delays following the closure of Sydney's M4 on Thursday morning. (ABC News)
In short:
Commuters have been left stranded in Sydney's M4 for up to four hours due to a tunnel closure on Thursday.
It comes after maintenance workers raised concerns about the structural integrity of parts of the M4 tunnel, and the potential for debris to fall into traffic.
What's next?
Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes and expect delays, with remedial tunnel works to continue overnight.
Drivers have been stuck in Sydney's M4 tunnel for several hours over fears part of its concrete roofing could tumble onto traffic.
Transport for NSW said the motorway was closed to westbound traffic between Haberfield and North Strathfield on Thursday morning because of emergency roadworks.
Transurban, which owns and operates the tunnel, said one of three westbound lanes was reopened.
Transport for NSW coordinator general Howard Collins said engineers found "a couple of large bulges" in the sprayed concrete lining, called shotcrete, of the tunnel roof overnight.
The M4 Motorway Tunnel was closed westbound between Haberfield and North Strathfield during morning peak hour. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)
"[The engineers] were concerned that if there was a major issue with this shotcrete, it could fall on vehicles," he said.
Mr Collins said the entire section would be closed again at 10pm Thursday night so further remedial work could be carried out.
He said he would not be confident in the roof's structural integrity until government engineers were assured the "prognosis" was limited to the waterproof membrane and the shotcrete.
'Exorbitant' delays
NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said drivers had spent an "exorbitant amount of time" in the tunnel, with some reportedly waiting up to four hours inside.
"Ultimately, this is a failure of privatisation. This tunnel is privately operated," she said.
NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison at a media conference about M4 tunnel delays. (ABC News: Nick Dole)
Mr Collins criticised Transurban's handling of the incident, saying there was a "frustrating" lack of communication from the company as the government tried to step in.
"We've offered engineers, all sorts of equipment. Unfortunately, those offers have not been readily accepted," he said.
"It is frustrating. My crews and teams who really want to get people around the network did find it very difficult to get information from this organisation.
"We will investigate and work with the timelines, and go through this with Transurban, to ensure that motorists are not put through this pain again."
Transport for NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins at a media conference about delays at the M4 tunnel. (ABC News: Nick Dole)
Responding to the government's criticism of the toll road operator, WestConnex general manager Denise Kelly said her team contacted the state-run Transport Management Centre five times between 4am and 6am.
"I don't want to speculate on why Mr Collins said those things, but what I can say is we worked with Transport for NSW on the issue," Ms Kelly said.
"We had a number of experts including external and internal engineers looking at the situation.
"I was in contact with relevant members of the government on this issue, and we are very happy to work with them."
Ms Kelly doubted whether all westbound lanes would reopen on Friday morning, citing an ongoing investigation into the engineering issues.
She said there would be congestion on Thursday evening but that it was for a good reason to keep "motorists safe".
Ms Kelly said her team contacted the Transport Management Centre five times between 4am and 6am. (ABC News: Liam Patrick)
Motorists echo their frustrations
Frustrated motorist Jonathan Cooper said he was stuck in the tunnel for more than an hour after leaving Glenmore Park.
"You could see everybody getting really anxious themselves, like nobody was letting anybody in," he said.
He said communication about the incident should have been clearer on radio and LED traffic signs throughout the city.
"I think they need to consider how they're going to fund everybody's tolls for this morning, to have to pay for the privilege of sitting in traffic for an hour."
Crews are expected to work overnight to try and rectify the issue in the tunnel. (Supplied: Transport Management Centre)
Business owner Dean Coleman said he spent an hour in the traffic, and was forced to reschedule a number of bookings.
"Most of them were understanding, but they were a bit frustrated," he said.
"We're already working six days a week, so we're probably going to have to do a few seven-day weeks."
Communication breakdown
Ms Aitchison said there had been an "absolute failure" in communication, particularly during the morning peak.
But even on early Thursday afternoon, there was nothing at the tunnel entrance to indicate the blockage, according to an ABC News crew caught in the traffic jam between the Anzac Bridge and Ashfield.
Heavy congestion remained between Haberfield and North Stratfield mid-Thursday due to the partial tunnel closure. (Supplied: Live Traffic NSW)
Drivers entered the tunnel at normal speed, the crew said, before traffic came to a sudden halt as five lanes merged into one.
Shadow Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the NSW government should have issued earlier warnings so drivers knew to avoid the motorway.
"Jenny Aitchison, as roads minister, should have been out there this morning communicating to motorists, not waiting until after her leisurely lunch," she said.
Despite the partial reopening of a single westbound lane, Transurban has warned drivers to avoid the area.
Motorists affected by the traffic gridlock have been offered a refund by contacting Linkt on 133 331 or its app.