Crumbling Convict-Era Road Shuts Key Australian Freight Route

A key freight and commuter artery linking Sydney with western New South Wales will remain closed for months after instability was detected in a nearly 200-year-old stretch of road, threatening to disrupt supply chains and lift transport costs in Australia’s largest economy.

The Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass was shut on March 8 for two weeks after engineers found significant cracking and movement along Mitchell’s Causeway, also known as Convict Bridge. State authorities then extended the closure to at least 90 days.