Old bridge to serve a new purpose

George Souris, MP, Member for Upper Hunter announced that the new Fitzgerald Bridge over the Hunter River at Aberdeen opened to traffic in May and work is about to start to repurpose the old bridge structures.

Mr. Souris said the 130 year old southbound heritage bridge will be retained for pedestrian and cyclist use and the northbound bridge, built in 1986, will be removed with materials crushed and given to Upper Hunter Shire Council for use in future road building activities.

“In total, 1200 tonnes of concrete will be crushed at Aberdeen Quarry and provided to Council, for use in future road work and other bridge components, such as steel will be recycled,” Mr. Souris said.

Upper Hunter Shire Council Mayor Michael Johnsen welcomed the recycling initiative which will benefit the local community. This will provide useful materials for council road projects, reduce landfill and save costs which will ultimately benefit rate payers,” Mayor Johnsen said.

Mr. Souris said the community was keen to see the old heritage bridge kept for recreational use and Roads and Maritime Services have been able to ensure it remains in place. “Future upgrade work is planned for the southbound bridge in coming months to improve access for pedestrian and cyclists and extend the life of the heritage bridge. The community will be provided further details before the upgrade starts,” Mr. Souris said.

“Also a new concrete path will be provided under the bridges, linking the western side of the new bridge to the old southbound heritage bridge. “The piers of the new Fitzgerald Bridge align with the heritage bridge to allow kayakers and local community groups to make use of the river.”

Demolition and removal work of the previous northbound bridge will start on Monday 28 July. Work will be carried out on weekdays from 7am to 6pm and on Saturdays 8am to 1pm. The work is expected to be completed in early next year, weather permitting. Roads and Maritime will make every effort to minimise noise associated with this work and any changed traffic conditions will be advised. Traffic controllers will be in place as required to direct motorists and there will be a slight increase in truck movements to and from the site.”

Mr. Souris said the new bridge was great for the local community and would improve productivity by enabling more efficient and direct freight movements.

“The recent opening of the new Fitzgerald Bridge at Aberdeen means the entire length of the New England Highway in NSW – from Hexham near Newcastle to Toowoomba in southeast Queensland – is now suitable for Higher Mass Limit vehicles,” Mr. Souris said.

“The new bridge was the last piece in the puzzle to provide uninterrupted Higher Mass Limit vehicle access between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, meaning these vehicles can continue down the New England Highway for their entire journey, avoiding a potential five hour detour.”

Fitzgerald Bridge and road approaches

Roads and Maritime Services (formerly Roads and Traffic Authority) is developing a new bridge over the Hunter River at Aberdeen.

The new bridge is being built to allow access for higher mass limit vehicles between Muswellbrook and Tamworth.

Since 2006, higher mass limit routes have been approved on specified roads in NSW to increase productivity of road freight transport.

This project is funded by the Australian Government.

Background

The Fitzgerald Bridger over the Hunter River is located on the New England Highway, Aberdeen, 13 kilometres north of Muswellbrook. The existing crossing consists of two separate structures for north and southbound traffic flow.

The bridges form part of the National Land Transport Network and are used by local and interstate travellers and the transport industry, with an average of 8,500 vehicles using the crossings daily.

The southbound bridge is a metal lattice truss bridge, built in 1893. The bridge has a carriageway width of 5.7 metres, which is too narrow compared to the minimum width required for a higher mass limit routes. The steel truss spans are also structurally inadequate for the higher mass limits on the network.

The bridge has heritage significance and will be retained for pedestrians and cyclists.

The northbound bridge is adjacent to the heritage bridge on the western side. Built in 1986, the bridge has a carriageway width of 5.5 metres with a 1.9 metre wide footway. The bridge is suitable for one lane and would require a major upgrade and maintenance to achieve a two lane standard (which is not feasible).

The Project

The new bridge and road approaches will be to the west of the existing northbound structure. Once construction is complete, the 9.4 metre wide bridge will be permanently used for two way traffic, providing for a single lane of traffic in each direction.

The existing southbound heritage bridge will be retained for pedestrians and cyclists, and the existing northbound bridge will be demolished on completion of the new bridge. The project will also upgrade intersections of the New England Highway both Blairemore Lane and the golf club entrance.

The new bridge approaches will be about one metre higher than the current bridge deck surface level, to maintain clearance for flooding. A new concrete pathway will be provided under the bridges to link the western side of the bridges to the old southbound bridge for pedestrian and cyclist access.

Benefits

• The new bridge will facilitate a higher mass limit route between Muswellbrook and Tamworth.
• The serviceability and design life of the new bridge structure will be 100 years, including flood immunity up to the one in a 100 year flood event.
• The design has been developed to minimise environmental impacts. The clearance between the northbound bridge and new bridge has been reduced after considering impacts to adjacent private properties, parkland and the potential archaeological deposits to the north of the Hunter River.
• The piers of the new bridge will be aligned with those of the existing heritage bridge to help facilitate use of the river by kayakers and local community groups.
• Cyclists and pedestrian safety will be improved.

Source: ProjectLink.com.au

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