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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Truck causes carnage in Acton tunnel

The ACT Police Traffic twitter feed is warning to avoid Parkes Way around the Acton Tunnel.

Meanwhile one intrepid tweeter has a picture of the damage inside:


UPDATE: The ESA is now calling it a tunnel collapse:

Part of the Acton Tunnel on Parkes Way in Acton has collapsed.

An excavator on the back of a loader entered the tunnel and ripped 60 metres off the top.

No one has been injured.

ACT Fire & Rescue has two pumpers, two Commanders, one Superintendent and the urban search and rescue pod on scene.

The call came through around 10.20am.

There will be traffic delays with the southbound lane of the tunnel blocked.

Update to follow.

10:54


Here’s a rolling twitter feed:



More from the ESA:

Engineers are on site assessing the structural integrity of the bridge.

An asbestos risk is being managed. It appears bonded asbestos is in the tiles that are on the fcascade of the structure.

Roads ACT are providing assistance along with ACT Policing.

A 1km exclusion zone has been established down wind.

It is unknown how long Parkes Way, both lanes, will be closed for.

A forward command post has been established near Commonwealth Avenue.

12:22


And further still:

Canberra residents are being urged to start planning their travel home this afternoon following the partial tunnel collapse on Parkes Way this morning.

Parkes Way is closed in both directions until further notice following the incident involving a truck and earthmoving equipment.

A 1 kilometre exclusion zone is currently in place downwind in an easterly direction. There has been no evacuations and there is not any anticipated at this stage.

Parkes Way between Clunies Ross Street and Edinburgh Avenue has been closed in both directions until further notice due to an earlier accident.
Road users are encouraged to take an alternative route and plan their journey home.

Westbound traffic leaving the city will be diverted right onto Coranderrk Street, left onto Cooyong Street, straight onto Barry Drive, left onto Clunies Ross Street, Lady Denman Drive and onto the Tuggeranong Parkway.

Traffic travelling westbound from Commonwealth Avenue, onto Parkes Way, will be directed straight through to London Circuit and Northbourne Avenue, left onto Barry Drive, left onto Clunies Ross Street, Lady Denman Drive and onto the Tuggeranong Parkway.

Eastbound traffic heading into the city will be diverted left onto Clunies Ross Street, right onto Barry Drive, straight onto Cooyong Street, right onto Coranderrk Street and back onto Parkes Way.

Electronic message signs will be erected to alert people to the diversions in place.

Please contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81 for up-to-date information on road closures.


More from the ESA as no doubt debate rages about re-opening the tunnel:

Air quality tests are currently being conducted in the Acton Tunnel to confirm whether any of the small amount of bonded asbestos struck in the accident has been released.

Initial indications are that there is no asbestos fibres present. We will provide an update on this once the testing is completed. The current one kilometre exclusion zone only impacts on the roadway itself to direct drivers to alternative routes.

People with any health conditions or concerns can seek advice through Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

13:41


More in from the ESA:

The eastbound lanes of Parkes Way through Acton Tunnel are now open to traffic with a 40 kilometre per hour speed limit in place in the tunnel. Motorists are urged to drive with extra care in the area.

Parkes Way between Clunies Ross Street and Edinburgh Avenue remains closed westbound leaving the city, until further notice.

Westbound road users are encouraged to take an alternative route and plan their journey home. If possible, leave before or after the peak period.

Westbound traffic leaving the city will be diverted right onto Coranderrk Street, left onto Cooyong Street, straight onto Barry Drive, left onto Clunies Ross Street, Lady Denman Drive and onto the Tuggeranong Parkway.

Traffic travelling westbound from Commonwealth Avenue, onto Parkes Way, will be directed straight through to London Circuit and Northbourne Avenue, left onto Barry Drive, left onto Clunies Ross Street, Lady Denman Drive and onto the Tuggeranong Parkway.

Electronic message signs have been erected to alert people to the diversions in place.

ACT Fire & Rescue has handed over the scene to ACT Policing.

3:06pm


And this:

ACT Policing is now on the scene at Parkes Way investigating the collision.

ACTION’s Route 81 which services the National Zoo and Aquarium, National Arboretum, Black Mountain Tower and the Australian National Botanic Gardens will be diverted via Clunies Ross Street instead of Parkes Way.

Routes 718 and 719 to the Tuggeranong Valley which commence this afternoon from the city at 4.14 pm will be diverted via Commonwealth Avenue and Cotter Road instead of Parkes Way.

The bus stop at Edinburgh Avenue/Rydges Canberra (#4633) will not be serviced during this time by Routes 81, 718 and 719. The alternative bus stop for Route 81 is at the City bus station, Platform 9. The alternative bus stop for Routes 718 and 719 is at the City West bus station, Platform 1.

Passengers should expect delays to travel times due to the diversions and traffic congestion in the area. ACTION recommends that people should incorporate additional travel time into their journey.

No school services are affected.

For up-to-date information on bus services call the ACTION bus information line on 13 17 10 or monitor ACTION’s Twitter account @ACTIONbuses.

15:12


Once more with feeling:

WorkSafe ACT has confirmed there are no asbestos fibres in the air following air monitoring at the Acton tunnel area.

The testing was conducted following an incident in the tunnel this morning involving a truck and heavy machinery.

The incident resulted in a number of ceiling panels in the tunnel being knocked down by an excavator. The panels are made of bonded asbestos containing material.

As a result of the incident, the sprinkler system in the tunnel was activated, effectively saturating the damaged ceiling panels and eliminating any risk from asbestos fibres in the atmosphere.

The remaining asbestos risk is in the cleaning up exercise which is currently occurring under the supervision of a licensed asbestos assessor and removalist.

This risk is being managed by the licensed professionals on site. The asbestos assessor has indicated that there is negligible risk to anyone outside of the work area in the tunnel.

The ACT Government’s main priority is the safety of all Canberrans while the tunnel is being cleared.

17:25

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