Windsor Bridge replacement

Reviewed

Project overview

The NSW Government is funding this project to help improve traffic flow and provide a reliable and safe crossing of the Hawkesbury River.

Latest news

Sep 2021 - Maintenance work

Transport for NSW will carry out concrete maintenance work on the southern viewing platform from Tuesday 5 October. Work will included installing scaffolding and drapes to the underside of the platform, drilling and concrete repairs. For more information, please view the September 2021 project notification (PDF, 385Kb) .

Project information

Bridge construction

The construction of the new Windsor Bridge is now complete and was opened to traffic in May 2020. The final traffic configurations was completed in December 2020.

Utility relocations

Final utility relocations was completed in December 2020 and the commissioning of the lighting on Thompson Square is currently being done and will be completed by early July 2021.

Archaeology

Non-Aboriginal archaeological objects discovered during the project were handed over as part of the project approval and the Heritage Interpretation Plan to the Hawkesbury City Council and are now part of the Hawkesbury Museum’s collection. Archaeologists will continue to work in the project area when required.

The Hawkesbury City Council has a number of archaeological items currently displayed at the UNCOVERED exhibition at the Hawkesbury Regional Museum. The online Thompson Square website showcases these and the many other archaeological discoveries and tells the story of the tens of thousands of years of human history uncovered during the bridge project.

Hawkesbury Regional Museum
Address: 8 Baker St, Windsor NSW 2756.

Thompson Square website.

Our work schedule

Work will generally be carried out during standard construction hours between 7am and 6pm on weekdays and from 8am to 1pm on Saturday.

The out of hours work will continue until mid-July between 9pm and 5am Monday to Friday.

There will also be some extended hours on Saturdays from 8am to 4pm.

How the work will affect you

As we head towards project completion there is only minor works left to complete with minimal impact to the community. Where there is any noise and disruption associated with this work we will inform the community..

For the latest traffic updates, you can call 132 701, visit livetraffic.com or download the Live Traffic

About the project

Background

Originally built for horse-drawn vehicles and foot traffic in 1874, Windsor Bridge is now used by up to 19,000 vehicles every day. The existing structure has deteriorated and reached the end of its useful life.  It no longer meets current road design standards so it needs to be replaced.

Roads and Maritime investigated a number of different options including repairing and replacing the bridge. We found restoration of the existing structure would only add a limited period to the life of the bridge before additional costly repairs or replacement would be needed.

Community consultation on the project began in 2009 and has continued throughout the development process. We have considered the issues raised during consultation together with environmental and heritage studies in finalising the design.

Key features

Key features of the project include:

  • Three lanes to operate from opening
  • New approach roads and intersections to connect the new bridge to the existing road network
  • New traffic lights with pedestrian facilities at the intersection of Bridge Street and George Street
  • Modifications to local roads and access arrangements, including changes to the Macquarie Park access road and reconnection of The Terrace
  • A pedestrian and cyclist facilities, including a shared path for access to and across the new bridge
  • Removal and backfill of the existing bridge approach roads
  • Removal of the existing bridge once the new bridge is operational
  • Landscaping and urban design work, including within the Thompson Square parkland area and adjacent to the northern intersection of Wilberforce Road, Freemans Reach Road and the Macquarie Park access road.

Benefits

Key benefits of the project include:

  • Improved safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists from a new, reliable bridge with two lanes southbound and one northbound
  • Improved traffic flow from a bridge that allows two-way heavy vehicle traffic and shoulders for vehicle breakdowns
  • Upgrading an essential local and regional road link across the Hawkesbury River at Windsor
  • Improved traffic efficiency by installing traffic lights at the intersection of Bridge and George Streets and a new dual-lane roundabout at Freemans Reach Road and Wilberforce Road
  • A new bridge that can cope with higher levels of flooding
  • Better access for pedestrians and cyclists from a three metre wide shared pedestrian and cycle path that provides safe, efficient connections to Thompson Square and surrounds
  • Reduced road footprint within the Thompson Square heritage precinct
  • A unified open space in Thompson Square increasing the usable area in the square by more than 500 square metres with direct access to the river.

 Community information

Community engagement

We have used a number of different methods to keep the community informed including project update newsletters, letterbox drops, newspaper advertisements, community information sessions and meetings, website updates, shopping centre displays and doorknocking.

Feedback was first invited from the community in July 2009 when nine different options were displayed for comment. Following the announcement of the preferred option in August 2011, further feedback was invited from the community to inform the concept design.

A third consultation period was carried out in November and December 2012 with the display of the concept design and environmental impact statement. We prepared a submissions report outlining the submissions received and our responses.

Project progress model

Project documents

Some documents on this page may not comply with accessibility requirements (WCAG).

If you are having trouble accessing information in these documents, please contact us.

 

Media releases

  • 3 December 2020

    New traffic lights and extra lane on Windsor bridge now open to traffic.

  • 23 October 2019

    Design improvements on the way for Windsor Bridge replacement project.

Contact us

For further information about this project, please contact:

Phone: 1800 684 490

Email: projects@transport.nsw.gov.au