
Work on Marshalls Creek Bridge has finally commenced. Wagga deputy mayor Georgie Davies (left), Roads and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, Member for Wagga Dr Joe McGirr, and Transport for NSW’s Brendon Jones turned the first sod. Photo: Supplied.
Work on expanding the Marshalls Creek Bridge has officially started after several years of planning.
The $30 million project will expand the current two-lane bottlenecked road to four lanes in order to provide greater safety for commuters and pedestrians.
The two-year project is expected to have several complete road closures during its construction period, however, NSW Roads and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison said it was a necessary evil.
“This is such an exciting milestone for the 20,000 motorists travelling on this road every day as major work starts to deliver a safer, stronger and more efficient Marshalls Creek Bridge,” she said.
“The new bridge will also deliver improved safety with a dedicated shared path on one side and a footpath on the other, meaning pedestrians and cyclists no longer have to compete with traffic on a narrow bridge.
“This project will improve traffic flow on the Sturt Highway by replacing the existing two-way and two-lane crossing, doubling the number of lanes available and removing the need to merge.”
Member for Wagga Wagga Joe McGirr noted the long history of planning that was required to get to the current work and said the start of construction was a win for the local community.
“For too long, motorists in East Wagga Wagga have had to battle traffic bottlenecks and serious safety concerns at Marshalls Creek Bridge and today marks the start of fixing those problems,” he said.
“This project is a real win for our local community.
“The Sturt Highway is not just a freight route, it’s an everyday road for locals – parents getting kids to school, workers heading to jobs and businesses moving goods around our city.
“Once complete, the new bridge will make daily travel safer and quicker for thousands of people right here in Wagga Wagga, while also improving access for pedestrians and cyclists.”
With work on the Marshalls Creek Bridge now under way, all eyes have now shifted towards duplicating the Gobbagombalin Bridge, one of the busiest and most congested roads in the Riverina.
“The number one issue in Wagga is Gobba Bridge,” Dr McGirr said.
“The current government have a real understanding of the issue. Without their work, it barely made the local Wagga transport plan; now we have a strategic planning process in place.
“It’s probably going to take hundreds of millions of dollars to get this project finished, so we need a strategic identification of a commitment, that’s the next step. It’s a big issue that I will be raising to the premier.”