Skew Bridge safety boost - at last!

Police have welcomed long overdue safety improvements to the Skew Bridge on the Midland Highway, Castlemaine.
State Member for Northern Victoria, Donna Petrovich announced the works had been completed last week.
It follows a visit by Mrs Petrovich to the notorious the rail bridge in September with Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Edward O'Donohue and fellow Northern Victoria Region MP Damian Drum to announce funding for the works.
"The $100,000 upgrade will help reduce the number of incidents of large trucks striking the bridge or becoming stuck at this railway bridge, which can cause a disruption to the freight network and the local community," Mrs Petrovich said.
"This safety upgrade by VicRoads included the installation of electronic warning signals on both the north and south approaches to the bridge and enhanced signage for the detour route to assist truck drivers in completing the detour.
"When a truck over 3.8 metres in height approaches the bridge, the height detection devices will trigger the electronic warning signals to flash, alerting the driver of the low bridge ahead. This will assist truck drivers by providing appropriate time for them to turn onto the nearby detour route."
Mrs Petrovich said the Midland Highway was an important transport corridor, and carries an increasing number of large freight vehicles, particularly to and from Bendigo.
"The upgrade will help reduce the potential for truck crashes at this bridge, and make the area safer for all road users."
As reported in the Mail many times over the past few years, it is lucky nobody has been killed at the bridge after a countless number of trucks have toppled over after hitting it.
The truck drivers had either miscalculated the height of their vehicles or simply missed the warning sign on the approach to the bridge.
Castlemaine Police Sergeant Nicky Goodison, who has attended quite a few of the accidents, welcomed the latest safety improvements.
"I think it's a great idea," Sgt Goodison said. "We've had so many trucks hit that bridge in the last three years, it's a wonder it's still standing."