“The NSW Government provided $5.6 million as part of the $209.5 million Bridges for the Bush program for approach road work and replacement of the old timber truss bridge with a new structure,” Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan Gay said.
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Minister Gay and Member for Burrinjuck Katrina Hodgkinson officially opened the new James Park Bridge over the Crookwell River on Friday.
The new bridge will improve freight productivity and safety for road users.
“The new James Park Bridge is part of the NSW Government’s Bridges for the Bush program, which invests in 17 key bridges in regional NSW,” Minister Gay said.
“Replacing old bridges, like the James Park Bridge, improves freight productivity and road safety, and focuses on the replacement and upkeep of bridges in regional areas.
“This removes significant freight bottlenecks on the State Road network and improves the safety and reliability of regional bridges.”
Ms Hodgkinson said work on the new bridge started in mid-2013 and involved building a new structure 15 metres downstream of the old bridge and realigning Binda Road.
“There was a great need for a new bridge over the Crookwell River,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
“The old bridge was a single lane bridge designed for heavy vehicles with loads much lighter than those carried by modern vehicles today.
“The bridge now has the capacity for larger trucks, including Higher Mass Limit (HML) vehicles with one lane in each direction and two metre shoulders to improve safety for cyclists.
“The bridge was recently opened to road users and has been well received by the freight industry and motorists.
“Work to remove the old Crookwell Bridge is expected to start soon and will take about three months to complete, weather permitting”, Katrina said.
