A large section of scaffolding came free from a demolition site on Robertson Road in Newport and overhanged the road surface, triggering an emergency response from NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW and SafeWork NSW, and closing Barrenjoey Road to northbound traffic for the better part of a day.
The incident unfolded just before 9.30am on 16 June 2026, when a NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officer travelling south through the Newport shopping centre precinct on Barrenjoey Road spotted a cloud of dust rising from a nearby construction site. Turning back to investigate, the officer found that a large section of concrete slab had collapsed at the demolition site, causing the scaffolding to break free of its restraints and lean out over Robertson Road.
Bystanders told police that some of the scaffolding had fallen onto the street surface, narrowly missing a local man who was passing in a wheelchair at the time. No injuries were reported.
Workers stabilise the site before emergency services arrive
Construction workers still on the site responded immediately, using an excavator to push the overhanging scaffolding back and stabilise it before other emergency services arrived. Officers from the Northern Beaches Police Area Command and crews from Fire and Rescue NSW Mona Vale Station subsequently attended, and SafeWork NSW was contacted to send inspectors.
The scaffolding business owner was already at the site when emergency services arrived, inspecting the damage and advising police and firefighters to close Robertson Road. Workers were directed to leave the site while the assessment was carried out.
Further inspection revealed a broader risk than the Robertson Road overhang alone. Inspectors determined there was further risk of collapse along Barrenjoey Road, involving both the now-unstable scaffolding and potentially the building facade itself if the large concrete slab shifted further. On that basis, Barrenjoey Road northbound was closed, with traffic diverted up Seaview Avenue to rejoin Barrenjoey Road at Neptune Road.
SafeWork NSW takes the lead
NSW Police Inspector Vanessa Robinson was present at the scene, conferring with SafeWork NSW inspectors as they worked through the risk assessment. Local authority representatives also attended to assist with traffic management, though no public assets were damaged in the incident. SafeWork NSW took over as lead agency for managing the site.
Inspectors determined the structure would need to be secured before anyone could begin dismantling the scaffolding or the front facade, to reduce the risk of further collapse onto the road. That assessment meant Barrenjoey Road was unlikely to reopen on the day of the incident, with the possibility of traffic impacts running across several days and potential southbound diversions also flagged.
By 5.30pm on 16 June, local business owners reported that Barrenjoey Road had reopened to northbound traffic. Robertson Road remained closed at the time of that update.
A reminder of what road closures cost Newport
For Newport residents and businesses, Barrenjoey Road is not merely a main road — it is the only through route connecting the peninsula communities of Pittwater, Avalon, Bilgola and Palm Beach to the rest of Sydney. Any closure, even a partial one affecting a single direction, backs traffic up significantly through the Newport village precinct and along the diversion routes.
A comparable incident at Carlingford in June 2025, following a building site collapse, resulted in Pennant Hills Road being closed for four days. The Newport situation resolved more quickly, though the proximity of the demolition site to a busy shopping centre and the main road underscored how little margin for error exists when construction work occurs in dense suburban corridors.
SafeWork NSW holds responsibility for investigating the circumstances of the collapse. Residents with concerns about construction site safety on the Northern Beaches can contact SafeWork NSW here or on 13 10 50.
Published 18-June-2026
