Drivers have been stuck in Sydney's M4 tunnel for several hours over fears part of its concrete roofing could collapse. The motorway was closed to westbound traffic between Haberfield and North Strathfield because of roadworks.

Council of the City of Sydney

A bulge discovered in the concrete roof lining of Sydney's M4 tunnel during routine maintenance prompted authorities to close all westbound lanes between Haberfield and Homebush. The closure resulted in significant traffic congestion, with some motorists stranded for hours and concerns raised over communication failures between the government and tunnel operator Transurban.

While one westbound lane has since reopened, full repairs are ongoing and the tunnel is scheduled for complete closure overnight for urgent works. The government has announced an investigation into the incident, and affected drivers have been encouraged to seek toll refunds. Delays and disruptions are expected to continue until safety is assured.

Major traffic delays on M4 following tunnel closure

Bumper to bumper, as far as the eye can see, this was the M4 tunnel westbound for much of the day. For others, it was four hours. The discovery of a bulge in the concrete roof lining during routine maintenance work and the subsequent risk of it falling onto drivers closed all lanes between Haberfield and Homebush, forcing traffic to exit early. The traffic was coming in and a trickle was coming out. The problem, many didn't know until it was too late to turn around. Attention, this is the WestConnex control room. Slow traffic conditions are affecting the tunnel. Communication here has not been good enough. This is a failure of privatisation. The government blames Transurban for not being transparent about the reality of the situation it was facing. But the operator says it told the government-run transport control centre just after 4am. I can't speculate on what they're saying. However, I can say from our part, we have kept up the lines of communication. It's not acceptable to blame everybody else when you are the roads minister. The government says it will investigate the timelines and work with Transurban to ensure motorists are not put through this pain again. This is why we need one connected network. This is why we need more information proactively coming out of these operators. In the meantime, many people have been left stranded for hours and paid for the privilege through tolls. We do encourage them to contact us and we'll speak to them about a refund for their tolls. While work is ongoing to repair the roof, one of the two westbound lanes has temporarily reopened. But there is a long and slow road to recovery ahead. Tallulah Thompson, 10 News. Our reporter John-Paul Gonzo is live at Haberfield for us tonight. John-Paul, you've been there all day since this issue was discovered. How is it there now? Sandra, it is slow going and it is going to be a nightmare commute home for so many. As Tallulah mentioned, only one westbound lane is now open. That's between Haberfield and North Stratfield. The only entry for that, though, is at the Anzac Bridge in the city. The other two westbound on-ramps are still closed as we go to air tonight. I've been speaking to quite a few drivers today. One woman telling 10 News she was trapped in the M4 for an hour and a half with her daughter and granddaughter. A three-week-old baby caught up in all of this chaos. An incredibly distressing situation, as you can imagine. And tonight, serious questions for Transurban about why drivers were let into that tunnel when they knew about the congestions, the delays and that closure further on. The M4 will be completely closed from 10pm tonight, so urgent repair works can be undertaken. The tunnel should reopen at five o'clock tomorrow morning, but that's only if it's deemed safe. So, Sandra, we could see delays and disruptions spreading into tomorrow and potentially even the weekend. John Paul Gonzo reporting there. Thank you.

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