ALMOST halfway through the construction process and time is running out for the old Kapooka Bridge.
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The notorious hair-pin turn is set to be replaced by a new bridge in September 2016, assuming weather does not slow the process.
The first bridge built in 1880, is the only remaining weight-restricted bridge on the Olympic Highway.
Transport industry veteran Ron Finemore AO joined roads minister Duncan Gay and Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire on an inspection of the Kapooka Bridge re-development on Wednesday.
After a lifetime in the transport industry, Mr Finemore said he was excited by the building of a new bridge.
“(Kapooka Bridge) is one of the points of concern when it comes to safety.”
Mr Finemore said truck drivers found there was a lack of awareness in what the B-double drivers needed to do, to cross the bridge.
B-doubles cross onto the other side of the road in order to negotiate the bridge, which has lead to many near misses between drivers.
Mr Finemore explained the safety of drivers was a cause close to his heart and said producers and consumers would win from the project.
More than $55 million has been tipped into the project is on schedule and within budget, it’s the centre-piece of the state government’s Bridges for the Bush program.
“When you’ve got a B-double that has to cross to the wrong side of the road to negotiate a road bridge, you’re pushing the edges on safety,” roads minister Duncan Gay said.
It’s not the state’s roads minister’s first visit to the Kapooka Bridge, having visited last year before work began.
“Seeing what’s happening now is just sensational,” he said.
“You’ve got to stand back in awe when you see the engineering that goes into a project like this.
“I’m old fashioned, I like watching machinery, but it’s not just watching it, it’s seeing it achieve something.”
Mr Gay said the safety was the aim of the project and the bonus was efficiency in moving goods around the state.
He said the weight restriction on Kapooka Bridge meant there was between five to eight tonnes of freight left off trucks using the route.
“Each one of those five to eight tonnes adds up to extra trucks on the road,” he said.
Work is continuing apace at the planned bridge, with drivers urged to exercise patience and care when travelling through the area.
Changed traffic conditions remain in place until the work is completed.
- Check the new bridge’s progress at our website www.dailyadvertiser.com.au.
