We’ve come to that bridge and we’re now able to cross it.
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The fourth bridge of the Warrell Creek to Nambucca Heads highway upgrade is officially open.
It was a low-key opening today for what the government is calling a significant piece of the Pacific Highway upgrade.
Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker officially removed the barriers of the new Rosewood Road bridge, granting locals from Warrell Creek and properties around Yarrahapinni a safe crossing over the new Pacific Highway.
The road as it was before meant that locals needed to negotiate with a constant stream of construction vehicles via a side-track in order to travel up or down the old highway.
With that side-track now closed, the corresponding section of highway is completely freed up for construction works.
One Warrell Creek resident incidentally attended the opening on his usual daily walk to survey the highway’s progress.
“I’ve been coming here every day and watching this thing get built for months and months now,” Kevin Veness said.
“I don’t reckon it’ll be done for a while yet.”
According to the July 2017 highway update from RMS, the Warrell Creek to Nambucca Heads section of the project is about 78 per cent complete and is on course to be done by December in time for Christmas holiday traffic.
My Hartsuyker said that the project is going great guns after being blessed with perfect weather.
The bypass of Macksville and Nambucca Heads is being prioritised in order to help manage traffic during the Christmas holidays.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said the opening of the bridge to local traffic was an important milestone in the $5.64 billion federally funded investment in the Pacific Highway.
“This bridge is an important local component of regional Australia’s largest road infrastructure project and I’m sure the new unrestricted crossing it provides over the Pacific Highway will be welcomed by locals,” Mr Chester said.
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Eleven more bridges are to be opened in coming months, with next in line being the Cockburns Lane bridge, just south of Rosewood Road.
Bridge piling across the entire stretch is finished with all 166 bridge girders delivered.
“Work is progressing well on the new Nambucca River bridge with all girders now placed. We are now installing safety barriers and building the bridge deck,” the RMS update states.
“The new bridge is about 66 per cent complete."
- RMS
“Work on the new bridge over Warrell Creek is progressing well. The bridge deck for the new southbound bridge over Warrell Creek has been completed.
“Work on the northbound deck continues. The final girders have been placed on the bridge over Upper Warrell Creek and work on the bridge deck is progressing.
Mr Hartsuyker said the pace of progress on the Pacific Highway upgrade was remarkable.
“The Warrell Creek to Nambucca Heads section of the highway upgrade is already improving road safety, reducing travel times and saving freight operators time and money,” Mr Hartsuyker said.
“In recent weeks we’ve seen more milestones being hit, including new construction contracts and entire sections of the upgrade nearing completion.”
New South Wales Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey said four of the 15 bridges on this section of the highway had now opened to traffic.
“Work on the remaining 11 bridges between Warrell Creek and Nambucca Heads is well advanced and the crossings will progressively open to traffic in the coming months,” Mrs Pavey said.