WED 26 Mar 2014
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT
Printed on 100% recycled paper
Entertainment guide is now bigger!
Trades & Services Need help at your place this weekend? p.25
Roundabout dramas David Strassman Master ventriloquist back in the Hunter p.15
Expressway opens to traffic p.4-5
NRL 2014 The inspiration behind Tyrone Roberts
p.28
Upgrades can’t come quick enough after truck rolls at hospital intersection Melissah Comber
M
aitland was plunged into traffic chaos last week after a truck rolled at the Maitland Hospital roundabout for the second time in eight months. Shortly before 10:30am on Thursday, March 20, a semi-trailer carrying an approximately 17-tonne concrete block over-balanced while travelling west along the New England Highway, coming to rest on its side in front of the Hungry Jacks outlet. Maitland Highway Patrol Sergeant Damon Bugden said that although an investigation would be carried out, it appeared that the concrete moved as the driver negotiated the roundabout. “Unfortunately the load’s just shifted on him,” Sergeant Bugden said.“He said he felt it going and just braced himself.” The driver was unhurt. Traffic snaked back along the highway for two kilometres as one lane was closed for the clean-up. The accident has thrown criticism towards the in-progress $45 million State Government upgrade of Maitland’s main roundabouts, but Member for Maitland Robyn Parker said the Government is committed to improving Maitland’s roads. “There’s still some work to do on the hospital roundabout, but the bulk of the work is done and I’m getting very positive feedback about [the new slip lanes],” Ms Parker said. “Accidents happen and what we need to do is make sure we’ve got our road surfaces as safe as possible, but what the Hunter Expressway opening means is that if there is an accident we’ve got an alternate route around Maitland. “Let’s see how this works, but we’ve certainly got on our radar fixing the roads we’ve got as well as future-proofing.”
The scene after a truck rolled on the New England Highway at Maitland
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