Perth's Landmark Bridge Forced to Close After Cable Failure
A major lighting cable has collapsed onto Perth's state-of-the-art Boorloo Bridge, forcing the immediate closure of the $105 million structure less than a year after its grand opening. The dramatic incident occurred around 5pm on Monday, casting a shadow over the celebrated infrastructure project that only opened to much fanfare in December last year.
Scene of the Incident
Video footage from the scene revealed the substantial cable tangled within the bridge's beams, with emergency crews working diligently to remove the damaged infrastructure. The operation required bringing in a truck to load the broken beam pieces onto the vehicle. Remarkably, despite the significant potential danger to the pedestrians and cyclists who regularly use this crossing, no one appears to have been injured.
However, reports from The West Australian highlighted how close the incident came to tragedy, noting the fallen lights narrowly missed a woman who was cycling across the bridge at the precise moment of the failure.
Investigation Underway
Main Roads, the government body responsible for maintaining the bridge, has confirmed to 7NEWS that it is investigating the cause of the failure. A spokesperson stated the organisation does not yet know what went wrong to cause the cable to come crashing down. The Boorloo Bridge is a significant piece of infrastructure for the area, featuring an impressive 7000 LED lights along its length, which were intended to illuminate the cityscape.
The sudden closure and the cause of the structural failure will undoubtedly raise questions about the safety and reliability of newly built public infrastructure in Western Australia, with the community awaiting answers from the ongoing investigation.
