GATEWAY HAS SOLID SAFETY RECORD

Traffic on the Gateway Bridge has increased by 22 percent in the last five years, however traffic incidents have remained relatively static, Transport and Main Roads Minister Steve Bredhauer said today.

Mr Bredhauer said almost 300 million vehicles had travelled across the bridge since it opened for traffic in 1986.

He said yesterday's accident, involving a truck, would be the subject of a detailed investigation by Queensland Motorways Limited (QML) - a Government-owned company responsible for the management of the Gateway Bridge.

Mr Bredhauer said: "We will move quickly to implement any recommendations stemming from the investigation.

"Traffic volumes have increased by 22 percent since 1998, with over 27 million vehicles now using the facility annually.

"However despite this dramatic increase in patronage, the number of traffic accidents is down; demonstrating that the Gateway is a basically well-designed and constructed river crossing that is efficiently and effectively servicing people's needs," Mr Bredhauer said.

Mr Bredhauer said that there had been two fatalities since the bridge's opening, one occurring on January 6 this year.

He said that QML was currently awaiting the outcome of a coronial inquest into the January incident, but would move quickly to make any structural changes identified by either investigation.

He said there had been one accident requiring hospitalisation on the Gateway Bridge in 2002, and no fatalities.

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