Motorists were warned of significant peak hour delays and urged to use train or Metro services to cross the bridge, with traffic at one point banked up 12km as far as Rozelle.
“There will be extensive delays so please avoid the area and we’ll do all we can to make the evening trip as smooth as possible,” Transport for NSW co-ordinator-general Howard Collins said.
Collins warned the delays could last for hours.
Police have established a crime scene and officers from the Crash Investigations Unit visited the site on Thursday afternoon.
“It is very sad for all those people involved,” McDonald said.
Police arrested a motorcyclist who attempted to ride through the crash site.Credit: Dylan Coker
“There will be numerous members of certain families affected by this and we’ll be working throughout the night with the ongoing investigation to inform the family members of those people who passed away.”
Police said the bus driver was uninjured, while no passengers were on the bus at the time of the crash. A NSW Ambulance helicopter was seen landing on the bridge about 2pm.
Separate footage filmed in the immediate aftermath of the collision shows at least two hatchbacks and an SUV with significant damage blocking several lanes.
A number of people can be seen assessing the damage from the crash. One man reached into the driver’s side window of a white Hyundai hatchback which had its front end smashed in.
Photographs taken on the bridge show a blue hatchback with its front smashed in and airbags deployed as firefighters assess an SUV nearby.
Sydney Buses said southbound services to the city would end at North Sydney or Macquarie Park, while northbound buses from the city would terminate in the CBD.
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