Drivers had their patience tested this morning in what regular commuters of Edward Street say was an unprecedented traffic jam.
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Since the closure of Eunony Bridge, more than 6500 vehicles drive through the city each day on the Sturt Highway in peak hour traffic between 7am and 10am and from 3pm to 6pm.
It is an additional 1239 vehicles on the road than usual.
However, Wagga resident Sherrie Freemantle said Wednesday morning was the "craziest" it had ever been, taking her 20 minutes to drive from mid-way in Kooringal to the Edward and Tarcutta streets intersection.
The mother of three, who also runs a business, said each year it gets "progressively" harder to do a school drop-off and arrive at work on time.
But she said today's traffic was "absolutely ridiculous" for a city the size of Wagga.
"I can understand that we have had unexpected growth, but [the council] seems to do things until it is way past due rather than getting on top of things before it creates a massive problem for people," she said.
Not only was banked up traffic frustrating for drivers, but Mrs Freemantle said it effects people in ways most people might not realise.
"It is hard because my son suffers from severe anxiety disorder and one of his ticks is being late," she said.
"Something as simple as putting his routine out by five to 10 minutes can create a meltdown that can last up to four hours."
For Wagga resident Donna Campbell a normal commute to Baylis Street is 12 minutes, but that was more than doubled in today's congestion.
She said she had never experienced a bank up for three blocks in Wagga.
"When I got to Warrawong Street and everything was banked up, we didn't move for about eight minutes. From there it was bumper-to-bumper [on Lake Albert Road]," she said.
Ms Campbell said the traffic lights were not in unison on Lake Albert Road, which was doing little to alleviate the situation.
"The lights would change at Railway Street, but we couldn't get across because the lights on Edward Street hadn't change," she said.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the volume of traffic has increased during peak hours since the bridge closure, particularly at the intersection of the Sturt Highway and Tarcutta Street.
They said adjustments will be made to traffic lights to improve flow at intersections across Wagga.
Wagga councillor Dan Hayes said the traffic flow was out of the council's power because Edward Street is a state government road.
He said the state government needs to look into its traffic light sequencing for the next six months to give priority to local traffic - not just highway drivers - during school-run and end of work periods.
The bridge will reopen for use on August 1.