Hawkesbury commuters faced unprecedented gridlock yesterday due to the simultaneous closures of the Richmond and Yarramundi Bridges, peak hour traffic, and the long weekend. Exasperated drivers were stuck in traffic for hours as they tried to get home.

The Yarramundi Bridge closed at about 10:30am, while the Richmond Bridge closed 4pm with little more than a half-hour warning. Traffic controllers were manning traffic on the Richmond Bridge after the guard rails were lowered yesterday afternoon before vehicles were stopped from crossing just before 4pm.  Many commuters, who had already waited for hours to cross the Richmond Bridge, were turned away and redirected to Windsor Bridge, only to face further delays. Transport for NSW and local authorities appeared unprepared for the chaos with no traffic controllers at Windsor to help ease the congestion.