Great Western Highway Bridge Failure: Community Impact & Recovery

0:00Hey, it's Cory. With the story with Sydney News today, your city, your news, every day. The great western highway between Sydney and the Central West is closed at Victoria Pass after a nearly 200-year-old convict-built bridge failed. Known as Mitchell's Causeway, the bridge showed cracking and movement, forcing a shutdown for at least three months while repairs get underway. This isn't counting as a natural disaster like a flood or fire, so standard emergency funding doesn't apply. Mitchell's minister Jenny Heson says they're starting from scratch to figure out support and where the money comes from, with all current road funds. Going straight to the fix. Communities like LyfGow and Bathurst are feeling the hit hard, with businesses losing customers from traffic diversions and tourism dropping off. Bed and breakfast report cancellations, a big food event in Orange expects fewer crowds, and Charles Sturt University worry students might skip, Bathurst for easier access elsewhere. Several leaders and business groups say the flow on effects are immediate and growing,

1:03hitting freight, small shops, and even the uni town's reputation. Extra free buses are running between Bathurst and Katumba, to ease some pain. To tackle this, the state government set up a task force led by the NSW Reconstruction Authority and Transport for NSW. It pulls together agencies, councils, and locals as a one-stop hub for help, with the first meeting set for tomorrow, March 20th. The Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor, linked in the description. It is a pillow that plays your podcast and music without earbuds, built for listening in bed, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.