This morning (November 14), Sydney residents experienced traffic jams of up to 26 km, after maintenance of fire sprinklers in the city's M8 tunnel failed, The Guardian reported.
The M8 tunnel was originally scheduled to reopen at 5am this morning. However, due to longer-than-expected maintenance work, traffic was not resumed until 7:45am.
A Transport for New South Wales spokesperson confirmed a routine maintenance failure on the tunnel's fire suppression system caused a large amount of water to spill onto the road, leading to traffic jams.
Traffic jam in Sydney on the morning of November 14
NINE NEWS SCREENSHOT
By 2pm, all lanes of the M8 had reopened in both directions, although reduced speed limits remained in place, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Meanwhile, traffic chaos continued in the CBD as Sydney's light rail services were halted around 10:45 a.m. Services were delayed due to overhead power lines falling onto the tracks. Transport for New South Wales hopes services will resume during the afternoon peak.
A Transport for New South Wales spokesperson said there would be further maintenance work on the tunnel on the evenings of 14 and 15 November. The operator of the line said it “does not expect the issue to recur”.
John Graham, the head of the New South Wales Roads Agency, later apologized to residents for the inconvenience this morning. Other officials said the incident could have been prevented.
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