Traffic is now flowing along Burley Griffin Way, following the opening of a temporary bridge at Wallendbeen.
Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the opening of the bridge was an important milestone for both the local community and the freight industry, who have faced lengthy detours since the original overpass was pulled down due to heavy rain in March.
“We are so pleased this temporary bridge is now in place to allow motorists, including those driving heavy vehicles up to 4.2 metres wide, to once again drive the length of Burley Griffin Way without the need for lengthy and time-consuming delays,” Ms Cooke said,
“It’s especially significant for the freight industry, as this route links the Hume Highway to the Riverina and the Olympic and Newell highways.”
Ms Cooke said the project team had been working since June to get the temporary bridge open to traffic as soon as possible with up to 100 workers employed on the project.
“This bridge is comprised of modular, pre-engineered steel parts, which allowed it to be built on site and installed in a short time-frame.”
“Multiple crews then carried out additional weekend and overnight work to build the road approaches to connect traffic with the bridge and install the portable traffic lights that will manage the flow of the roughly 1000 vehicles that use the road each day.
“This is going to vastly improve traffic conditions for motorists while work continues on a permanent solution.”
Design work on the permanent crossing is under way, with a final design expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Transport for NSW will share the final design with the community in early 2022 once it has been locked in, along with a timeline for work on the permanent crossing.
For the latest traffic updates, download the Live Traffic NSW app and visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.
