More congestion pain for West Gate commuters

Traffic chaos erupted again on the West Gate Bridge as commuters faced a new round of closures and lower speed limits.

Congested traffic heading up the Westgate bridge. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Traffic chaos erupted again on the West Gate Bridge on Thursday as commuters faced a new round of closures and lower speed limits.

The latest works, which came into effect on Wednesday night, closed a number of lanes on the West Gate Freeway, Footscray Rd and impacted Hyde S, with the speed limit also reduced to 60km/h in nearby areas.

Closures were exacerbated by a broken-down car which blocked the right outbound lane, leaving only the two middle lanes open and blowing delays out to 19 minutes.

It is the second time in two weeks Melburnians have been confronted with lengthy delays after the bridge became a standstill in late December, setting commuters back three hours.

Department of Transport spokesman Andrew Crook said the breakdown on Thursday lasted for around 35 minutes.

The current closures are set to run until February 27. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

“It blew things out a little bit but luckily it happened during the start of the peak so traffic didn’t get a chance to build quickly,” he said.

Victorian Transport Association president Peter Anderson said curfews in place for heavy vehicles should be lifted during the closures to make up for delays.

“It’s difficult for truck drivers who travel over the bridge ten times a day, especially when it impacts their work and the transportation of food and necessary supplies,” he said.

“At the end of the day works need to be completed and curfews should be lifted for heavy vehicles while works are being done to offset delays.”

The current closures are set to run until February 27, as part of works to widen the West Gate Freeway from eight to 12 lanes.