River Street Bridge $80m budget blowout explained
The cost of building a controversial bridge in Dubbo has blown out by a massive amount and reignited debate about whether pedestrians should be able to walk across it. READ THE REASON IT’S BLOWN OUT SO MUCH.
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Critics of a plan to build a new bridge across the Macquarie River in Dubbo have used an $80 million blowout in the project’s budget to launch renewed attacks on the design and suitability of the high-level flood crossing.
In 2017, Premier Gladys Berejiklian and former Dubbo MP Troy Grant announced $140 million would be spent building a 545m bridge on River Street, to allow more traffic to pass from the Newell Highway in North Dubbo to West Dubbo in flood events.
The announcement came after a flood in 2010 caused traffic gridlock in Dubbo and an estimated $13 million hit to the local economy.
A new River Street Bridge would get more people across the Macquarie River and provide a new connection to a growing health and education precinct in North Dubbo, the government has argued.
About 10,000 people have signed a petition opposing the plan, which critics claim would worsen traffic congestion in Dubbo and not provide suitable access during floods because roads approaching the proposed bridge are low and subject to flooding.
In the recent federal budget, Parkes MP Mark Coulton announced Canberra would stump up $176 million to build the bridge, with the state government to contribute $44 million, with the total cost of the bridge and associated road upgrades to rise to $220 million.
Dubbo Regional Council is opposed to the River Street Bridge plan, however its traffic committee chairperson councillor Greg Mohr said if the bridge went ahead, a major design change was needed.
“Months ago I tried to tell the state government that the new bridge must have a footpath for pedestrians,” Cr Mohr said.
“The original $140 million proposal didn’t include a footpath or footbridge.
“I understand that since I raised my concerns there has been some discussions to potentially include pedestrian access and with the federal government stepping in to provide the majority of funding, I would hope they would ensure that happens.”
Cr Mohr claimed the current bridge design was an accident waiting to happen.
“In my time as a truck driver, I saw what happened when pedestrian traffic wasn’t kept separate from vehicles,” he said.
“To spend $220 million on a bridge that is supposed to provide access during flood events and not make it suitable for foot traffic could have potentially deadly consequences.”
Acting Transport for NSW director Alistair Nunn said there were already existing pedestrian crossings across the Macquarie River.
“The proposed design considered practical and safe pedestrian access and has incorporated an upgrade to the Thompson and Whylandra Street intersection, which includes dedicated pedestrian access to the Emile Serisier Bridge,” he said.
“There are four existing pedestrian crossings off the Macquarie River including the Emile Serisier Bridge, LH Ford Bridge, Dundulimal and the Tamworth Street footbridge.”
Mr Nunn said the original $140 million bridge budget was only an estimate.
“Consideration of community feedback, site investigations and design reviews since that time have resulted in a number of modifications and refinements to the design.
“This includes significant change to the Thompson Street intersection, as well as further development and incorporation of detailed design features such as heavy duty road surface, land acquisitions and utility relocations. The recent project budget announcement reflects this.”
Karina McLaughlin, the driving force behind a community group campaigning against the bridge, said the budget blowout showed the project was a waste of money.
“I think it’s not worth it, it’s about $50 million more than the whole Parkes bypass which has two bridges on it,” she said.
“There are so many problems that they’re going to have to put in band-aid solutions for.”
Ms McLaughlin said she could not understand why the government was not advocating for a bypass around Dubbo.
“Almost every other town and city in NSW is being given a bypass so they’re obviously NSW Government policy and they argue strongly for them wherever they go,” she said.
Towns like Coonabarabran, where a bypass has been proposed by the government, were divided over whether one was needed while the Dubbo community was largely in agreement one was needed locally, Ms McLaughlin said.
The government has said traffic congestion in Dubbo and ensuring enough traffic can get across the Macquarie River during floods were two separate issues, however Ms McLaughlin and her supporters say the issues are linked.
“This new bridge is going to keep sending the traffic along Whylandra Street and on to the next intersection of the LH Ford Bridge.
“A lot of people come into town every week for medical appointments and such, they’ve seen the traffic and they know that if your going to put more traffic into the intersections in front of the Serisier and LH Ford bridges, that it’s not going to reduce congestion.”
Critics also argue the roads approaching the new bridge go under in floods and that makes the new bridge location inappropriate.
“It floods on Bourke Street and it floods on the intersection of Thompson and Whylandra Streets,” Ms McLaughlin said.
Bridge supporters, who claim people like Ms McLaughlin are acting out of self interest because the new bridge would put more vehicles on roads near her home were wrong, she said.
“It’s not only me that’s affected, this is everybody who needs to get down Thompson Street and across the bridge. It’s not just like I’m acting for myself, I’m acting for everybody who needs to use Thompson Street to get across the bridges.
“There’s also a lot of traffic near the LH Ford Bridge intersection and I don’t live near that one.”
Mr Lunn said the bridge project was in a detailed design stage and construction was expected to start in 2022.
“During this stage, the concept design features are further developed and detailed to enable a final set of drawings to be completed in preparation for major work,” he said.
Construction of the bridge is expected to be completed by 2025.