Piling on the excitement as work starts for Parkes’ new Victoria Street bridge

The Parkes Bypass project has passed a major milestone today (Friday 6 October) with the start of piling work for the new Victoria Street bridge.
The Victoria Street bridge is one of two new bridges being built as part of the $187.2 million bypass project, with the other bridge to take bypass traffic over Hartigan Avenue and rail lines.
Transport for NSW Acting Regional Director West Damien Pfeiffer said the piling was a key step in the Victoria Street bridge project as, once it’s finished, it would allow construction work to start on the two abutments that will support the bridge.
“The Parkes Bypass is a transformative project that will change the way locals, tourists and particularly freight operators move around and through Parkes,” Mr Pfeiffer said.
“The Victoria Street bridge is one of the key elements of the bypass project and it’s exciting to see the start of this piling work.
“This work will consist of six piles per abutment and the aim is to drill, install the reinforcement and concrete two piles each day.”
Piling work will take six days to complete, weather permitting. Work hours are 7am to 6pm weekdays and 8am to 6pm on Saturday.
“There will be some noise from the piling work but we will arrange the work in stages at different locations and turn off all machinery when not in use to limit the impact on residents,” Mr Pfeiffer said.
“Crews will also be using water carts to suppress dust and we will establish additional air monitors around the worksite to ensure dust and asbestos fibres do not pass the site boundary.
“All work will be undertaken in full accordance with the Asbestos Management Plan controls and Environment Protection Authority requirements, and will be overseen by a Class A asbestos supervisor and licensed asbestos assessor.”
The 46-metre-long Victoria Street bridge will comprise six concrete girders, 146 tonnes of steel reinforcement and 500 cubic metres of concrete. Construction will take one year.
The Parkes Bypass project is part of a record investment of $1.7 billion from the Australian and NSW Governments to improve safety, freight productivity and travel times on the Newell Highway between the Victorian and Queensland borders.
More information on the project can be found here.