business - 2026-06-17

Building site collapse shuts parts of Barrenjoey Road and Robertson Road in Newport

Source: www.northernbeachesadvocate.com.au

A collapse at a Newport building site closed parts of Barrenjoey Road and Robertson Road on Tuesday, disrupting traffic through the town centre and prompting a major safety response. Police, firefighters, SafeWork NSW inspectors and Northern Beaches Council attended after scaffolding came free from a building under demolition, raising concerns about a further collapse onto the road.

A collapse at a Newport building site closed parts of Barrenjoey Road and Robertson Road on Tuesday, disrupting traffic through the town centre and prompting a major safety response. Police, firefighters, SafeWork NSW inspectors and Northern Beaches Council attended after scaffolding came free from a building under demolition, raising concerns about a further collapse onto the road. The incident happened shortly before 9.30am on Tuesday 16 June. A NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol officer travelling south on Barrenjoey Road through the Newport shopping centre saw a cloud of dust coming from the construction site and turned back to investigate. At the site, the officer found a large section of scaffolding had broken free from the building and was overhanging Robertson Road. A large concrete slab appears to have collapsed, causing the scaffolding to come loose from its restraints and lean outward. According to bystanders, some of the scaffolding fell onto the street and narrowly missed a local man who was passing in a wheelchair. Despite the near miss, no injuries were reported. Workers on the site used an excavator to push the scaffolding back and stabilise it before...