Planning for the replacement of the historic Camp Street Bridge has reached the next stage with the release of the Review of Environmental Factors for public comment.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The review outlines an anticipated 43 weeks of vehicle detours while the 91-year-old bridge is demolished and a new bridge built.
Parliamentary secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless says the new bridge is needed to meet current design standards and improve safety for motorists and pedestrians.
The new bridge will have wider travel lanes and pedestrian / cycle paths.
Light vehicles and buses will be detoured around local roads, with most expected to take Bandon or Oxford streets into the town centre.
Heavy vehicles will travel along Flint Street and out Lachlan Valley Way, to take Red Bend Road and Wirrinya Road back to the Newell Highway – or be directed down Wirrinya Road from the highway.
“To enable heavy vehicles to cross the Iron Bridge, the bridge will be converted to one lane with traffic control in place,” Mr Colless said.
There will be traffic lights to control traffic, and the review predicts an average queue of four vehicles at the bridge in peak times.
The Review of Environmental Factors incorporates community feedback received when the project concept design was placed on display last October and November.
The review acknowledges earlier local feedback about the look of the new bridge, saying it is not possible to replicate the current bridge due to modern techniques and material requirements “to handle the increased loads of modern freight”.
“An architect was engaged to design the new bridge,” Mr Colless said.
“The design includes landscaping suitable to the surrounding lakeside environment. The lamp posts from the existing bridge will be incorporated in the design to complement the town's heritage aesthetics.”
The plans start with removal of the services including fibre optic, gas, electricity and water mains on the existing bridge, and include the lowering of the water level in Lake Forbes.
You can view the Review of Environmental Factors until 27 July at Forbes Shire Council and Library, and online at rms.work/forbesbridge
There are two drop-in sessions in the next week to find out more. They’re on this Saturday, June 30 from 9am to 12pm outside Bernardi’s supermarket, and on Friday July 6 from 10am to 2pm in Rankin Street, next to Target.
Submissions by emailing forbesbridge@rms.nsw.gov.au or mailing to PO BOX 34 Forbes.
