03.57 pm, Wednesday May 23 2012

Sydney's M5 tunnel reopens

12:26 AEDT Sun May 9 2010
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It defies belief that a truck driver who slammed into Sydney's M5 tunnel, bringing down a steel clearance beam, missed all the warning signs, the transport minister says.

The tipper truck, which was carrying a 14 tonne excavator, ripped through 50 metres of ceiling after it careered into the tunnel on Saturday morning.

The tunnel reopened early on Sunday morning.

Until the damaged section of the motorway is repaired, the traffic speed limit has been reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h.

The repair work will be done overnight, during which time diversions will be in place.

"It will be well past the evening peak and it will be aimed to be completed before the morning peak," Transport Minister David Campbell told reporters on Sunday.

Mr Campbell said there were a number of warnings the truck driver should have seen before he crashed into the M5 eastbound tunnel.

He said all of the warning systems, which include flashing lights, were active at the time of the incident.

"It just defies belief," he said.

"It's just amazing that anyone could have missed all of the warning signs and driven such a high load into that tunnel.

"It is in my view a miracle no one was injured as a result of that accident."

The damage bill remains unknown.

"I would expect that the driver and/or the operator of the vehicle will get a fairly hefty bill," Mr Campbell said.

"That will be on top of any penalty that may accrue following the police investigation and any potential court action for fines."

The maximum fine could be $55,000, Mr Campbell added.

At lunchtime on Sunday, the driver of the truck had not been arrested by police or charged.

"There's been no action taken at this stage," a police spokesman told AAP.

 

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