Princes Fwy drivers secure compo win after road works bungle
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Drivers whose vehicles were damaged in the major road works bungle on the Princes Fwy will receive full compensation for repairs, it can be revealed.
The Department of Transport has agreed to shoulder the entire repair works bill for all vehicles that copped damage on the freeway on Wednesday after a 200kg plate covering an expansion joint became dislodged from the road.
Usually, the department is not liable for the first $1640 of damages caused by condition of the road, meaning drivers can only apply for compensation for repair works above that amount.
But in a rare change of heart, the department has agreed to waiver the threshold and allow drivers affected by Wednesday's bungle to claim back the entirety of their repair bill.
A spokesperson said the department was 'proactively contacting drivers whose vehicles were damaged in this week's incident to assist with the compensation claims process'.
It comes after all four Melbourne-bound lanes of the Princes Fwy in Werribee were closed on Wednesday morning after a bungled road works fix.
The department said 'human error' was behind the oversight that resulted in a five-vehicle collision on Wednesday morning
Road work crews had cut an expansion joint at Duncans Rd bridge in order to reinstall it, leaving a gaping trench in the road.
A temporary steel panel weighing 200kg was cut and placed over the hole sometime before 3am to allow cars to drive over the exposed area before works could continue on Wednesday night.
But that plate was not properly secured to the road — either incorrectly bolted down or not asphalted in place — and quickly became dislodged about an hour after crews left the site.
Five vehicles, including one truck, collided in Werribee at about 4.20am after running into the road hazard.
Motorists were stuck in gridlock on the Princes Fwy for up to four hours following the collision, and slowly diverted through Werribee until one lane reopened about 9.30am.
The department is still working through an investigation into how the steel plate dislodged.
'Once we understand that we will take the appropriate action relevant to the investigation outcomes,' a spokesperson told the Herald Sun.
The department has promised to dedicate a staff member and separate inbox to assist and process claims associated with Wednesday's debacle.
All effected drivers are urged to visit the Transport Victoria website and follow the Notice of Incident Claim process.
More than 48 hours since the traffic chaos occurred, the department has still yet to confirm who was at fault for the steel plate not being properly secured to the road.
Drivers looking for compensations will 'still have to work through the usual process' online before they are refunded.
The department confirmed to the Herald Sun that the same contractors who originally installed the plate returned to the site to fix the issue.
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