Commuters stuck in soaking conditions as potholes cause chaos on Tiger Brennan Drive
Frustrated commuters have been left stranded on the side of the road in sodden conditions, after a series of potholes caused havoc for motorists on a Darwin road. LATEST + WATCH THE VIDEO.
Northern Territory
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Frustrated commuters have been left stuck on the side of the road in sodden conditions after a series of potholes caused havoc for drivers on Tiger Brennan Drive on Tuesday.
The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics closed the inbound lane following a heavy downpour starting at about 7.30am that opened up the veritable crevasses.
“The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has been made aware of the pothole on Tiger Brennan Drive and closed the lane as soon as we were notified,” a spokeswoman said.
“Contractors are currently on site preparing to undertake repair works to that section of the road.”
Pang Watanato said he had been waiting for almost two hours for assistance after hitting one of the holes, saying “it was all a bit of a blur really”.
Mr Watanato said he hoped his car had not suffered any more serious damage than a flat tyre, but the Automobile Association of the NT had told him it was too dangerous for them to help and had to call a tow truck.
JP Jasminez from Bellamack hit the same pothole on his way to work, a route he takes every day.
He said he usually tries to avoid the potholes but because of the weather it was too hard to see it until it was too late.
He said he didn’t have an AANT membership so was waiting on the roadside to see if any other assistance would arrive but after an hour and a half he decided to fix his own tyre as the tow truck arrived for Mr Watanato.
Meanwhile, Anggi Oktaviani from central Darwin said she was driving down Gardens Rd after dropping her child off at school when she hit another pothole.
“I just didn’t see it, and then bang,” she said.
Ms Oktaviani said she also didn’t have AANT membership so she rang Goodyear to see if they could help.
“I called Goodyear but I would have to wait eight queues before someone can come and help, so I would have to wait about two or three hours,” she said.
She then rang the AANT anyway but said she was told the call-out fee was going to be $360 so she decided to wait for a friend to come and help.
“Luckily this area wasn’t crowded, otherwise I would have (crashed) into someone,” she said.
Ms Oktaviani said she had lived in Darwin for about seven years and travelled on Gardens Road most days on the way to school.
She said the city council should look at addressing the road condition before it rained.
“They know the wet season is coming, they should pay attention to it,” she said.
“This shouldn’t happen to anyone.
“The hole is not a small one, it’s big, there is also no light here, if there is fog or heavy rain we are blinded as drivers.”
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Originally published as Commuters stuck in soaking conditions as potholes cause chaos on Tiger Brennan Drive
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