Motorists are being advised to avoid Footscray after another container truck crashed into a city-bound barrier at the notorious Napier Street bridge underpass.
A truck carrying two shipping containers hit the bridge early this morning.
The first container made it under, but the second one hit the bridge and came off the back.
Napier Street citybound was closed just after 10am and re-opened at 11.50am. Crews remained on site working to recover the container.
Traffic banked up as far back as West Footscray station and motorists were advised to seek an alternative route such as Dynon Road.
The 4.0m high Napier Street Bridge has now been hit close to 70 times since 2005, but VicRoads has no plans to lower the road under the bridge.
VicRoads acting director of operations Fatima Mohamed said there are 28 advance warning signs and five height detection devices around the bridge, which alert drivers to the height of the bridge and direct them towards potential detour routes.
“We continue to work closely with the industry to improve awareness of low clearance bridges, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of all drivers to be aware of the height of their vehicles and plan their journeys accordingly.”
The current penalty for failing to obey a low clearance bridge warning sign is $738.
The bridge’s safety barriers were realigned earlier this year to improve safety at a cost of $600,000.
The state government announced in May it will spend a further $1.1 million on a safety upgrade that will include alarms that notify authorities and automatic number plate technology to capture the details of drivers disobeying the 4-metre height limit.
Works are expected to be completed by late this year.
Container vs bridge. Napier St Footscray. Ping @GettrafficVIC pic.twitter.com/A8Qqk7uJ3O
— Sandy (@sandy_drew) October 11, 2017
