Worse for wear West Gate Bridge flags get a birthday

Tattered flags flying high above the West Gate Bridge will be replaced today after strong winds left them looking worse for wear.

Neil Mitchell was alerted to the state of the Victorian and Australian flags by callers over the last few days.

By the end of the show, the flags were in the process of being replaced.

Wayne, who works for the company responsible for maintaining them, called in to say they’d sent in two staff to get it sorted.

He said heavy winds meant the flags have been left looking poorly, which are normally kept in tact by protective strips sewn onto them that are routinely replaced.

STATEMENT FROM VICROADS

VicRoads is responsible for the maintenance of the West Gate Bridge, which includes routine inspection and replacement of the two flags on the Bridge ? the Victorian flag and the Australian flag.

The flags, which were erected in 2008, are exposed to high winds that cause damage over time.

In order to extend the life of the flags, our contractor has designed a protective edge strip that is attached at the edge of the flags.

This strip takes the brunt of any wind damage in preference to the actual flag.

The protective strips on the flags are replaced roughly every six weeks, and take around two hours to replace.