Piling work starts for foundation of new bridge
A key milestone for the New Dubbo Bridge is taking place this week with piling work starting on the floodplain adjacent to River Street.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said the test piling in the Macquarie floodplain will form the foundations of the bridge structure.
“Once the 40-metre-long tubular steel piles have been delivered to the site, three test piles will be driven into the ground through the flood plain between Brisbane Street and the Macquarie River using hydraulic hammers,” Mr Saunders said.
“The test piles are important to ensure that any issues can be identified and resolved early, and will form part of the final bridge structure when complete.
“The new bridge will be comprised of 89 piles, with the remainder to be driven into the ground throughout 2023.”
To enable this early piling work, an access track has been built and a crane pad constructed by the project team.
“Once complete, this bridge will transform traffic movement through Dubbo providing a safer and stronger connection for locals and freight operators in the region,” Mr Saunders said.
There will be noise and vibration monitoring in place to manage the impact to the community during this stage of piling work, which is expected to take two months, weather permitting.
Work hours will be between 7am and 6pm on weekdays and on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm. However, hammering work will only be carried out between 8am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, and only be continuous for 3 hours at a time.
Temporary road closures will be in place for the test piling on River Street between Bourke Street and Brisbane Street so the piles can be safely delivered to the site, and changed traffic conditions will be in place for the duration of the piling work.
Work is already underway on a new intersection at Brisbane and Darling streets, while plans are being finalised for the upgrade of the intersection of Thompson Street and Mitchell Highway, with work to start by the end of the year, weather permitting.
The New Dubbo Bridge is a $220 million project jointly funded by the Australian Government and NSW Government. It will support an estimated 290 direct and 1200 indirect jobs during the construction phase.
Job seekers and local business operators will also have the chance to learn more about the project on Thursday, 8 December at a drop-in session hosted by Transport for NSW and contractor Abergeldie Pty Ltd. All are welcome, with bookings not needed.