Giant pothole on Princes Highway at Nar Nar Goon damages more than 20 cars

A Pakenham woman says she will struggle to afford repairs to her tyres after hitting a “half-a-metre” deep pothole that forced more than 20 cars to pull over on the Princes Highway at Nar Nar Goon on Saturday.

Drivers were forced into the emergency lane of the highway amid heavy rain to change their tyres or wait for help.

But with low visibility, drivers who had pulled over were frightened of further accidents.

“There were so many almost accidents, it was pretty scary, I thought we were going to get hit at one stage,” Pakenham resident Bronwyn Drummond told the ABC. 

Ms Drummond was driving with her three children in the car when she heard a loud bang. 

“It was the biggest bang and we knew straight away we had to pull over,” Ms Drummond said.

“At that stage there were probably 30 cars pulled over and it was just mayhem.

“We blew two tyres, the car in front of us had also hit it so they slammed on their brakes and pulled over.”

Bronwyn Drummond says replacing damaged wheels will cost thousands of dollars. (Supplied: Bronwyn Drummond)

‘Going to cost us thousands’

Ms Drummond waited on the roadside for her husband to come. 

The pothole is understood to have been half a metre deep. (Supplied: Facebook)

It was two hours before they could keep going.

“The poor thing was in the rain the whole time trying to change these tyres, he was drenched,” Ms Drummond said.

“It was a really long line, there was tow trucks there, some people pulling over — car after car just checking.”

Ms Drummond said she expected the damage to cost her family thousands of dollars.

“This is our main family car, it’s going to cost us thousands and thousands,” Ms Drummond said.

“We’re already behind on bills, we don’t know how we’re going to fix it, we have to come up with the money before we can even try and claim for it.”Road maintenance skipped, opposition says

Victorian National Party leader and Shadow Roads Minister Danny O’Brien said the Coalition believed resurfacing and resealing works had not been carried out in summer periods to prevent potholes.

“It’s not the fact it opened up quickly … but it’s how it got to this stage,” Mr O’Brien said.

“We went a couple of summer seasons there with zero resealing programs.

“That’s the work that actually seals the road and stops the water getting in and forming potholes in the first place.”

More than 20 cars were damaged, with tyres blown and tow trucks called. (Supplied: Michelle Snape)

Michelle Snape was on her way home to Warragul when she hit the pothole shortly after 4pm. 

Due to the influx of calls, she waited hours for roadside assistance. 

It was 10pm before she could keep driving.

“I was talking to friends while waiting and I said, ‘Look, the pothole is getting fixed before my car,'” Ms Snape said.

Ms Snape called Triple Zero (000) straight away.

The pothole has been patched. (Supplied: Facebook)

“There’s so many ambulances with passenger transport going up and down there … at least 10 that went past after the accident and they’re so low, they’d be wrecked,” Ms Snape said.

“If motorbikes went through, they would have flipped over, they would have been gone.

“It was at least a metre long, half a metre deep and just full of water.

“No-one would have seen it because it was the same colour as the road. 

“Our poor roads, Gippsland just doesn’t get looked after.”

The Victorian Department of Transport has been contacted for comment.