Harbour Bridge crash costs NSW $50m

A woman who drifted into oncoming traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and crashed head-on into a taxi, had fallen asleep at the wheel.

That one accident, at 6.40am yesterday, triggered traffic gridlock across Sydney, brought every major city-bound route to a standstill, and was estimated to have cost the NSW economy $50 million.

The 37-year-old woman was driving a rented van full of suitcases south across the Harbour Bridge when she allegedly fell asleep and drifted into oncoming traffic causing a five-car pile up. The woman, a middle-aged taxi driver and another motorist were taken to hospital, but for Sydney's commuters the pain was only just beginning.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said the cost to the economy was about $50m

The snarl stretched 21km, from Epping in the north to Eastlakes in the south. Commuters complained of a doubling in commute times, with some having three hours added to their journey.

Emergency crews reopened all northbound and two southbound lanes at 8am. NSW Police interviewed the male taxi driver at St Vincent's Hospital and confirmed that the woman driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said the cost to the economy was about $50m. 'It is not just time lost, it is trucks that are failing to make deliveries, which affects production schedules, taxis doing nothing for two hours, workers losing two hours of output and people missing their flights." Sydney plumber Matt Elliott was driving north in the lane next to the rail line in the moments before the smash. "An older model Toyota HiAce van crossed into the oncoming traffic and hit a taxi head-on 15m in front of me."

"Then I slammed into the side of the van. I was going about 50 to 55km/h. 'I had enough time to slam on my brakes and I hit the van at 40km/h. My car was not too bad. I don't think it is written off. The van and the taxi are gone, written off. It was chaos." Bus commuters were moved on to trains at Macquarie Park and North Sydney. Mr Elliott, who walked away from the smash without a scratch, said people were calm after the crash. 'Nobody was screaming hysterically, though they calmed down the lady in the van. She was screaming to get out immediately after the accident," Mr Elliott said.

Central Coast tradesman Terry Stevenson said his trip to Sydney doubled in duration. "The trip from the coast normally takes one-and-a-half hours but it was more like three hours today," he said. "It's just ridiculous." 

Another minor smash on the Anzac Bridge at 9.55am closed one citybound lane, while at 10.30am, a tree branch fell on to a car on College St, next to Hyde Park, temporarily closing that road and adding to a day of chaos.