THE bridge to a less congested future will become clearer with a major milestone crossed on the Jewry Street duplication.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Nine 18 tonne girders were trucked into Tamworth on Wednesday morning and fitted with meticulous precision to help form the base of the new bridge.
By Friday afternoon, it will look more like a bridge, engineers say.
READ MORE:
Tamworth Regional Council project manager Callum Fletcher said the bridge is on track to be completed by May, but it won't be in use until later in the year once the intersection has been completely upgraded.
The federal government pledged $3.5 million for the project and New England MP Barnaby Joyce said it was one stepping stone in the city's journey toward a 100,000 population.
"As our city grows, we'll have to be doing more of this," he said.
Deputy mayor Phil Betts said traffic would be affected as works continued, but emphasised the positive outcome.
"When this is finished in a few months time, they will have state-of-the-art free flowing access to Tamworth and Taminda," he said.
What will it mean?
- The construction of the bridge and its approaches have been planned to ensure they are ready for use by the time the adjoining intersection in Peel Street is completed in August 2019.
- The two traffic lanes on the existing Jewry Street Bridge will be used for vehicles travelling from Taminda across to Peel Street and either turn left towards Manilla or right into the Tamworth CBD.
- The two traffic lanes on the new bridge will be used for vehicles travelling from Peel Street towards Taminda.