Motorists urged to plan ahead for Mandagery Creek Bridge weekend closures
Manildra’s Mandagery Creek Bridge will be closed to all traffic for up to 10 non-consecutive weekends starting from Friday 18 August until completion of the Mandagery Creek Bridge replacement project, as work on the new replacement bridge swings into top gear.
The NSW Government has committed $12 million to replacing the existing bridge on Henry Parkes Way that has provided access to the Manildra town centre and been a key link between Orange and Parkes for almost 100 years.
Work on the replacement bridge began in October 2022 with single lane access across Mandagery Creek maintained for all vehicles, but a series of full bridge closures is now needed as crews reach an important construction milestone.
Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said a detour via Cudal would add about 30 minutes to trips for Manildra residents who need to travel across Mandagery Creek, as well as for motorists travelling to and from Manildra across Mandagery Creek. All road users are urged to plan ahead to minimise impacts on their journeys.
The detour via Cudal will add about 15 minutes to trips between Parkes and Orange.
“We acknowledge the inconvenience these weekend detours will cause but the reward will be a brand new bridge with wider lanes and higher mass limits to deliver smoother, safer journeys for all motorists,” Mr Lunn said.
“Mandagery Creek Bridge will be closed to all traffic for up to 10 non-consecutive weekends until the completion of the project in mid-2024, with each weekend closure starting at 7pm on the Friday and continuing through until 6am on the Monday.
“The closures will allow for essential concrete pouring and associated construction work to be completed, and due to the staged nature of the work, the closures will be non-consecutive over the remaining duration of the project.
“Motorists need to be aware of the closures and plan their journeys in advance.”
During the weekend closures, Manildra residents living either side of Mandagery Creek will have no direct access to the other side of the creek and will have to detour via Cudal. There is currently no pedestrian access across Mandagery Creek following the loss of the Council footbridge in the November 2022 flood event, and there will be no pedestrian access during the weekend closures.
Similarly, motorists travelling on Henry Parkes Way from Orange to destinations on the western side of Mandagery Creek, or from Parkes to destinations on the eastern side of Mandagery Creek, will have to detour via Cudal.
“Transport for NSW has extensively consulted with the Manildra community and Council, emergency services, local businesses, freight operators and local industry including Manildra Group and MSM Milling, to make them aware of these closures and help to minimize the impacts, and we appreciate their co-operation throughout the delivery of this important project,” Mr Lunn said.
“Traffic control will be in place at either end of the bridge for 24 hours a day during the closures, as well as along the detour route, and we will utilise extensive variable message signage (VMS) to alert motorists about the changes.
“In addition, as part of the first weekend closure we will be switching traffic from the southern side of the existing Mandagery Creek Bridge onto the newly-constructed northern side of the bridge to allow for the southern side to be removed and replaced. After this time, lane widths will be reduced from 3.5m to 3m.”
The first weekend closure takes effect from 7pm Friday 18 August to 6am Monday 21 August.
Transport for NSW thanks all motorists for their patience as this important work is carried out.
For more information on the bridge replacement, visit nswroads.work/manildrabridge.
For the latest traffic information across NSW, visit www.livetraffic.com, download the Live Traffic app or call the Transport Management Centre on 132 701.