Olympic Highway, Old Narrandera Road intersection causing crash chaos

Resident Keith Holder says it is about time Transport for NSW fixed the Olympic Highway and Old Narrandera Road intersection at Gobbagombalin, which he said people have been warning them about for years now.

"It is a serious accident waiting to happen," Mr Holder said.

The renewed warning came after a cement truck rolled at the intersection yesterday.

Emergency services were called to the scene about 10am, after reports of a single-vehicle crash.

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The truck landed on its side and blocked Old Narrandera Road in both directions, causing its closure.

A reduced speed limit was also put in place on the Olympic Highway.

Heavy vehicle tow trucking company Cool's Wagga Truck Towing was called in to help right the truck using a crane and remove it from the scene, while Fire and Rescue NSW crews cleaned a small diesel spill.

The driver was not injured.

Eight days earlier, another truck rolled at the same spot, causing a "large diesel spill'. Emergency services were called to that incident just after 11.30am on August 9.

The crashes came as work is under way to fix the intersection, as part of overall Olympic Highway upgrades that include replacing the roundabout at Travers Street with traffic lights.

A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said work to finalise detailed intersection and utility relocation designs at the Olympic Highway intersection with Old Narrandera Road was continuing.

Plans to install lights at the intersection were announced in August 2020 to improve road safety and reduce congestion for motorists crossing the Gobbagombalin Bridge, which is situated near the turn-off into Old Narrandera Road.

"The southbound ramp connecting Boorooma Street to the highway will continue as a new stand-alone lane past Old Narrandera Road, which means traffic merging onto the highway from Estella via Boorooma Street won't have to merge before the new traffic lights," the spokesperson said.

"This [work] includes an additional new northbound lane on the Olympic Highway from south of Old Narrandera Road, which joins the existing Boorooma Street off-ramp into Estella north of the intersection. A dedicated right-hand turning lane plus a right/left-hand turning lane will also allow motorists to safely turn out of Old Narrandera Road on to the Olympic Highway from two lanes instead of one."

Utility relocation work is set to start in early 2023, with major work to start mid-year.

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