The new bridge being built across the Lachlan River near Forbes is starting to take shape with crews preparing to crane 12 Super T girders into place.
The girder lift is the next step in the $15.3 million project to build a new bridge along Warroo Bridge Road, about 46 kilometres west of Forbes, to replace the existing timber truss structure that has been in operation since 1909.
Transport for NSW Acting Regional Director West Paul Polansky said preliminary earthworks for the new bridge started in September last year, with construction work commencing in March and piling work now complete.
The 12 vertical piles that have been driven into the riverbank and riverbed provide the foundation for the new Warroo Bridge and the 12 Super T girders to be installed on top of the piles and bridge columns will support the bridge deck.
“The existing Warroo Bridge is a timber truss bridge that is now in poor condition due to its age. It is narrow and not suitable for use by modern agricultural equipment or heavy vehicles with higher mass limit (HML) loads,” Mr Polansky said.
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“The replacement bridge will be a longer lasting, stronger bridge delivering a smoother ride for all users and improved road user safety through wider travel lanes and better road approaches, increased load capacity for heavy vehicles, and improved access for wide vehicles.
“The existing Warroo Bridge will remain open to traffic throughout the construction of the replacement bridge and will be removed completely once the new bridge is operational.”
Warroo Bridge is the only major crossing of the Lachlan River linking the Lachlan Valley Way to the Henry Parkes Way between Forbes and Condobolin.
When the existing bridge is closed for maintenance, motorists face a 93-kilometre detour to travel from one side of the bridge to the other.
Work to install the 25-tonne Super T girders will take place across six shifts between Monday 21 July and Friday 8 August, weather permitting.
Work hours will be 7am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, with no work on weekends.
The girder lift will require intermittent 15-minute full bridge closures during work hours, in addition to the changed traffic conditions that are currently in place including temporary traffic lights, single lane closures and a reduced 40 km/h speed limit on Warroo Bridge Road during work hours, and a reduced speed limit of 60 km/h on Lachlan Valley Way from the intersection with Warroo Road during work hours.
Once the girders are in place crews will continue working beside Warroo Bridge Road on both sides of the Lachlan River until mid-2026, when the new bridge is expected to be open to traffic, weather permitting.
The Warroo Bridge Replacement project is being funded by the NSW Government under the Bridges for the Bush and Bridge Maintenance programs to ensure people, freight and produce can move freely around the region at all times and to cut down on the cost and inconvenience of future maintenance.
Transport for NSW will continue to update the community as planning for construction progresses. For more information on the project visit nswroads.work/warroobridge
