Commuters faced long delays in getting home last night after one of the major arteries into town had to be closed due to damage believed to have been caused by Hurricane Fabian - leading to tailbacks for miles.

Traffic sat snarled up through Hamilton right back to Par-La-Ville Road, with motorists moving forward just inches at a time, as vehicles had to be directed away from the dangerous road surface on Harbour Road.

The Ministry of Works and Engineering took the decision to close the section between Trimingham Hill roundabout and Valley Road in Paget after it is believed a number of motorists called Government with concerns.

One of the Government workers sent to look at the damage told The Royal Gazette they thought Hurricane Fabian may have caused the initial damage to the surface of Harbour Road, between Lovers Lane and Valley Road, but then torrential rain yesterday may have worsened the damage and made it more apparent to drivers.

The most easterly part of Harbour Road is expected to be closed to motorists for the next couple of days and people are advised to take alternate routes along South Road or Middle Road.

However, those people who live along Harbour Road in the section that is closed off will be allowed access.

A statement from Government said last night: "The Ministry of Works and Engineering is advising members of the public travelling west that until further notice, a stretch of Harbour Road from the Trimingham Hill roundabout through to Valley Road is closed to all traffic due to an unsafe road area.

"The road will be closed until repairs can be completed and, thus, traffic coming into Hamilton will be diverted through Manse Road and Chapel Road. Also, in this instance, motorists are advised to use Middle Road or South Shore Road.

"The Ministry apologises for any inconvenience this may cause the public."

At about 6 p.m. yesterday, scores of cars sat along Church Street in Hamilton just waiting to inch their way home.

The problem was compounded by yesterday's rain which led to a greater number of people taking their cars to work, instead of bikes.

When The Royal Gazette spoke to drivers at the junction of Church Street and Parliament Road they appeared to be understanding of the situation.

Debbie Blakeney said: "It's much worse than it usually is, definitely. This is outrageous traffic. I've heard Harbour Road is closed, but what else could they have done."

And one male driver, who did not wish to be named, said he had sat on Church Street for a long time without hardly moving.

He said: "The traffic is much worse than usual. It's taken me more than 15 minutes to get from MarketPlace to here, which isn't far at all.

"I'm going to Southampton, but I will go along Middle Road now. I think it's going to take us at least an hour to get home."

The damage to Harbour Road is the latest headache for the Ministry of Works and Engineering following the onslaught of Hurricane Fabian almost five weeks ago.

It's entire work crew has spent the last month rebuilding the Causeway in the East End, which was to open to vehicles after 7.30 p.m. and be available for two-lane traffic for the first time last night.

All repair work at night has now been discontinued on the bridge, but during the day some sections of the Causeway will have restricted use where final restoration work continues, and for those parts Police will direct just one lane through at a time.

However, the public is urged to use caution when crossing the bridge, particularly at night, as some areas still need asphalting and centre lines have not been placed.

And starting today, the Public Transportation Board (PTB) said all bus services would return to normal, except for a small section of South Road at John Smith's Bay, which was also washed away by the hurricane and needs replacing by Works and Engineering.

PTB director Dan Simmons said the restoration of the Causeway and repaired street lighting meant bus drivers could now provide services to St. George's, St. David's and all central and western parishes.

Morning and afternoon bus services will also return to schools from today.