Molong Street Bridge at Stuart Town will soon be replaced with a stronger, sturdier and more resilient concrete bridge under the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Bridges Program.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said Dubbo Regional Council would receive more than $990,000 to replace Molong Street Bridge.
“This is a fantastic announcement for our region, and builds on the more than $8.3 already delivered to replace timber bridges around Benelong, Mumbil and Terrabella, ensuring we build more resilience into our road network,” Mr Saunders said.
“We know ageing timber bridges like this one are just not up to the task anymore, especially during a flood so by replacing them with more modern materials we not only improve our network resilience, but we also take the pressure off council to maintain them.
“As we’ve seen with the recent flooding, a concrete structure can be the difference between reopening a road the day after it floods or closing it for a prolonged period until an impacted bridge is assessed and repaired.”
Dubbo Regional Council Director of Infrastructure Luke Ryan welcomed the funding.
“With the grant funding received under the Fixing Country Bridges Program, Dubbo Regional Council has been able to replace existing timber bridges that are coming to the end of their serviceable life,” Mr Ryan said.
“Council appreciates the support from this program to enhance the resilience of the community with these improved structures.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the program was helping local councils upgrade their bridges and keep communities connected.
“We are helping councils build bridges that are wider, higher and stronger and support greater load limits – greater freight volumes means better efficiency and productivity for our rural industries,” Mr Farraway said.
“These bridges will play a vital role in connecting rural and regional communities to markets, jobs and essential services such as schools and hospitals.”
More than $300 million was awarded to councils under Round 1 of the Program, to replace more than 400 timber structures across 53 LGAs, and in July this year, a further $49.25 million was provided to replace 34 bridges across 21 LGAs.