Deborah O’Neill, Mark Coulton debate Dubbo bridge benefits

An unpopular $220 million bridge has been slammed by a Labor MP who is calling on the government to “listen to the locals”.

Ryan Young

4 min read

March 5, 2021 - 6:00AM

The Dubbo News

Dubbo News

Don't miss out on the headlines from Dubbo News. Followed categories will be added to My News.

A Labor senator’s intervention in debate about a controversial $220 million bridge proposed for Dubbo has been labelled “offensive” by a local Nationals MP who says data showing the benefits of building the bridge would not outweigh the cost should not stop the project from going ahead.

Despite a vocal campaign opposing the project, the State Government is pressing ahead with plans to build a 545-metre bridge across the Macquarie River in Dubbo, which it says will keep the city’s traffic flowing when it floods.

An artist’s impression of the new River Street Bridge. Picture: NSW Government

The Federal Government has agreed to spend $176 million to fund the bulk of the project, however in a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Labor’s duty senator for the Parkes electorate, Deborah O’Neill, called for the project to be halted.

“I have been contacted by local residents who are concerned about the bridge and its potential effects on local traffic as well as future infrastructure projects in the area,” Ms O’Neill wrote.

“When the council held a 2018 survey on the project, two thirds of residents opposed the bridge and 93 per cent of residents wanted a ring road and bypass instead. The project is unwanted by the local community, key trucking industry officials and the local council.

“I urge you to heed these local voices and the will of the local community and instead invest in a Dubbo ring road, a Troy Bridge bypass and conduct genuine consultation with the people of Dubbo regarding future crossings of the Macquarie River.”

Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill. Picture: Gary Ramage.

Ms O’Neill’s intervention has angered Parkes federal Nationals MP Mark Coulton, who accused the senator of having “not even a clue what’s going on” and wanting to “jump into the middle of a fight without understanding the issues”.

“A Labor senator coming from somewhere else, putting their two cents worth in to what Dubbo needs, I find quite strange and a little offensive even,” Mr Coulton told The Dubbo News.

“If every project that was protested against never got built, there would be nothing built in this country.”

Mr Coulton said construction of the bridge, which would be built off River Street in North Dubbo and connect to Whylandra Street in West Dubbo, was needed to prevent “traffic gridlock” which ground the city to a halt in 2010 when a flood left one bridge as the only option to cross the river.

“We were lucky no one in West Dubbo tried to get to the hospital,” he said.

“Wheelers Lane got destroyed because of the extra traffic.”

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Parkes MP Mark Coulton support the River Street bridge project. Picture: Kym Smith

If people wanted to bypass Dubbo, Mr Coulton said they already could.

“There’s a lot of trucks bypassing now … out onto Bunglegumbie Road, across the Troy Bridge and out past the Saleyards and ultimately onto the Golden Highway through Boothenba or back through Wheelers Lane and onto the Mitchell Highway,” he said.

“Putting a higher level bridge at Troy is not really going to change what happens now.”

Karina McLachlain, an activist who runs the Stop the River Street Bridge group, has attacked Mr Coulton for supporting the project.

“Voters in this section of the Parkes electorate are gobsmacked that (Mr) Coulton didn’t use his position to persuade the state government to fund a better option for our national highway,” Ms McLachlain said.

“Regional voters are coming to see that he is a representative that they cannot trust to stand up for their best interests.

“(Mr) Coulton threw good money after bad by backing an extremely unpopular project which studies show has a pitiful cost-benefit ratio.”

Bridge critics Greg Nolan, Karina McLaughlin and Michele Langley. Picture: Ryan Young

NSW Government data released last month showed the proposed bridge had a benefit-cost ratio of 0.5 when a strategic business case was prepared in 2019.

When a final business case was prepared in 2020, the benefit-cost ratio declined to 0.3.

Both figures were less than one, the figure widely considered to show a project has more economic value than cost.

Despite the data, Mr Coulton said he remained committed to the project.

“If we only did things on a cost benefit ratio, everything would be done in the city,” he said.

“I stand judgement every three years by the people I represent and if the comment that lady made about me proves to be correct, maybe I won’t be here after that.”

Flooding which caused chaos in Dubbo in 2010. Picture: Shane William Smith/Facebook

Transport for NSW director Alistair Lunn said various bridge options were considered after extensive community consultation in 2016, with benefit cost ratio calculations done on the short-listed options and a potential duplication of the low-level Emile Serisier Bridge.

“Benefit cost ratios were then used to compare the benefits which could be realised for each, such as travel time savings, safety benefits and vehicle operating costs, and the costs which would be required to build and operate the project,” Mr Lunn said.

“Benefit cost ratios are not the only input which guide an infrastructure decision as they don’t always capture all possible benefits, such as population growth or improved amenity. They also don’t fully incorporate economic benefits of providing improved connectivity during a flood event.

“A strategic business case and a final business case were progressed for the River Street bridge option as it outperformed others in terms of improving traffic flow, creating better access for freight and heavy vehicle traffic across the Macquarie River, and accommodating future growth in north west Dubbo while resulting in the least impact to local property.”