COMMUTERS who travel through the usually innocuous stretch between Beresfield and Hexham will be breathing a little easier, hopefully, after works to allow the freight rail bridge at Tarro to reopen at full capacity.
For anyone who has managed to dodge the traffic snarl that has engulfed the area for weeks, traffic was cut to a single lane in each direction over the bridge after unspecified structural issues were identified with pillars holding up the outer lanes.
The result was a lengthy detour at one of the Hunter's most significant pinch points, sending extra traffic across Stockton Bridge and through the back streets of suburbs including Millers Forest, Thornton and Raymond Terrace.
At best, the fiasco highlights the importance of the M1 Motorway extension under way to connect the end of that highway with Heatherbrae. At worst, however, it is an indictment on the Hunter road network that so many wasted so much time without more viable alternatives to the bottleneck.
"Transport for NSW acknowledges the impacts these restrictions have had on motorists and thank the community and freight operators for their patience while we worked to return the bridge to normal operating conditions safely," Transport for NSW regional director north Anna Zycki said on Monday.
Unfortunately, it is not the end of an unpleasant chapter on what is both an integral part of the Hunter road network and a major thoroughfare for freight headed between Brisbane and Sydney.
Further non-urgent works, including ongoing maintenance to the bridge, will still need to be undertaken at a later stage.
It is telling that widening efforts at Hexham, which are also under way, would do little to lift the burden on the bridge in question.
Specifics of how the bridge reached the point where closing the outer lanes suddenly was the best option is a serious question regarding the adequacy of maintenance and investment in the Hunter's road network. Even if authorities were hopeful the M1 Motorway extension would be complete before the bridge reached the point of no return, the folly of such a hope has been revealed.
Given the significant spending on highways, toll roads and motorways in Sydney recently, Hunter drivers should at least be able to expect a functional roadway that will not strand them in traffic at short notice or for weeks at a time.
Those involved in the response that has brought the saga to a close deserve congratulations but the circumstances overall demand serious scrutiny, if only to prevent a repeat of an unwelcome interruption to lives and supply chains.
