City traffic nightmare for commuters as crashes cause road chaos

IT was nothing short of a nightmare on Hobart’s roads, with a trifecta of crashes wreaking havoc on both the eastern and western shores following a deluge of wet weather.

FRUSTRATED motorists had to sit through traffic delays of up to three hours after bad weather and a series of crashes caused chaos on Hobart’s roads.

As severe weather battered Tasmania, leading to widespread power outages, damage to homes and uprooted trees, Hobart’s road network was also plunged into chaos.

Two crashes in the afternoon in particular caused major traffic delays.

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A car rolled in a single-vehicle crash on the Southern Outlet. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

One was a single-vehicle rollover on the Southern Outlet near the Olinda Grove turnoff about 3.30pm. The other was a three-vehicle crash on the corner of Davey and Antill streets about 4pm, in which a car also rolled after the collision.

There were no serious injuries, but both crashes caused serious delays.

Two of the three vehicles involved in a crash on the corner of Davey and Antill streets. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Later, about 6.30pm, a third crash brought traffic on Hobart’s Eastern Shore to a crawl.

Tasmania Police said one driver rear-ended another on Cambridge Rd at Bellerive causing congestion in the area as the scene was cleared.

And, just before 8pm a vehicle breakdown on Proctors Rd, Dynnyrne, also caused some minor delays, police said.

South-bound traffic banked up on the Southern Outlet after the single-vehicle crash. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Motorist Susan Woodward told the Mercury, via Facebook, it took her nearly two hours to drive from Geilston Bay to the city via Bowen Bridge.

Shane Moore said it took him three and a half hours to drive from Montrose to Margate.

And Leica Wagner said it took her an hour to get from the CBD to Sandy Bay.

Gale-force winds of more than 100km/h also ripped through the state yesterday, leaving 25,000 households without power at the height of the weather front.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded gale force wind across the state, with one of the highest gusts of 139km/h on Mt Wellington.

Emergency services were called out to more than 40 wind-related events across the state — including damaged roofs, dislodged sheds and fallen trees.

State Emergency Services assistant director operations Leon Smith said the north of the state suffered the most damage, with 26 calls for help.

“One wind corridor that swept through Invermay was particularly damaging, causing two houses to partially lose their roofs,” he said.

Part of a tree fell in Salamanca Place as the storm crossed the city.

The SES also had 15 requests for assistance in the North-West and about six in the South, including a partial loss of a roof in West Moonah.

TasNetworks had crews working around the state trying to restore power thousands of households. As of last night there were about 2900 homes still without power.

TasNetworks spokesman Josh Bradshaw said many power lines had been brought down by fallen trees, while lightning strikes were responsible for some of the outages on Hobart’s Eastern Shore.

A car in Launceston has its front windscreen smashed in the wild weather. Picture: NICK CLARK

Weather bureau senior forecaster David Matthews said gale-force gusts had also swept across Dennes Point on Bruny Island (117km/h), Friendly Beaches (111km/h), Tasman Island (107km/h) and Maria Island (107km/h).

Lightning strikes also affected Hobart Airport, where ground crews were forced to stop work yesterday morning.

Crews went indoors between 10.15am and 10.40am due to lightning strikes nearby, with four flights being delayed.