A crane rollover has forced authorities to close the M5 tunnel in southwest Sydney, causing widespread commuter chaos.
The M5 East tunnel was initially closed off in both directions after a vehicle transporting a large crane abruptly rolled over and caused extensive damage to the tunnel.
Westbound lanes have since been reopened, while the tunnel’s Eastbound lanes will remain shut overnight, an update has said.
Emergency roadworks have been scheduled between 7.30pm and 5am overnight on Tuesday, and eastbound lanes will again be closed as work continues between 9.30pm and 5am overnight on Wednesday.
Detour routes include Stoney Creek Road, Forrest Road, Wickham Street, West Botany Street, King Georges Road, Marsh Street and the D5 route to bypass the tunnel.
The crane flipped while travelling eastbound at Bexley North.
Both sides of the tunnel were severely smashed as the crane laid on its side spreading debris across the road.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:30am on Tuesday, with paramedics treating a man in his 30s at the scene before transporting him to St George hospital in a stable condition.
Authorities chose to shut the 4-kilometre tunnel in its entirety due to the serious nature of the incident with the crane itself completely blocking the road.
Fire and Rescue NSW confirmed that a “large quantity of hazardous oil” had been spilled as a result of the crash and that specialised environmental crews were working to contain the leak.
The crash has also compromised the emergency fire sprinkler system throughout the tunnel.
Superintendent Adam Dewberry from Fire and Rescue NSW said “this crash has taken out the critical fire suppression system in the tunnel”, and added that two fire trucks had been placed at either end of the tunnel in case a fire broke out.
Dewberry stated that it was “going to take a while” to clear the crane and road, and warned that closures would remain in place for a some time yet.
“Usually you’d lift up the crane and move it out of the way, but you can’t do that inside a tunnel,” Dewberry stated.
“The scene is currently contained, and NSW Fire and Rescue are bringing in a vacuum truck to finish the job.”
Transport NSW urgently advised commuters to avoid the area and make alternative travel arrangements and stated that the removal of the crane would be a lengthy process.
City-bound traffic was backed up for multiple kilometres following the incident, and delays were expected to compound with the onslaught of afternoon peak hour.
Dewberry had indicated that crews were making inroads to reopen west-bound traffic, however added that city-bound commuters travelling east would face a protracted wait.
“It is looking like it will take some time for eastbound,” Dewberry said.
The tunnel encompasses Bexley North to Arncliffe, and west and city-bound lanes from General Holmes Drive and Bexley North were also initially closed.
Authorities also closed numerous on-ramps onto the tunnel, including the March Street west-bound on ramp and the city bound on-ramp at Kingsgrove Road.
At first authorities only shut east bound lanes from General Holmes Drive, however authorities also opted to close the west and city-bound lanes.
Emergency crews have been on site to dislodge the overturned crane and evaluate if the tunnel is structurally compromised.
