Work starts on Macksville Bridge renewal

A LARGE program of works to bring the Macksville Bridge back to its best got underway this week.

The historic steel truss bridge has provided a vital link between the communities on the two sides of the Nambucca River for 95 years.

On Monday, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) began a three-and-a-half-year program of work to “keep it in top shape for generations to come”.

“Work on the Macksville Bridge will be done in four stages,” said TfNSW Regional Director North Anna Zycki

“The first will take about 11 months to complete and will involve strengthening the piers and improving the durability of the concrete.

“The second will be to rehabilitate the steel, which has started to deteriorate with the passage of time and exposure to salt air.

“The third will be blasting off existing paint and repainting and, finally, in stage four we’ll carry out repairs to the bridge deck.

“These are all big jobs and will be disruptive at times, but we’ve put in many hours of planning to minimise as much as possible those disruptions and impacts on the community.”

A temporary jetty and site compound will also be built and removed at the completion of the project.

Some temporary traffic changes, including intermittent single lane, alternating traffic flow arrangements and a 40km/h speed limit will be in place sporadically throughout the first stage between August and late 2025.

During this period, motorists should allow for delays of up to 10 minutes.

Turning lanes onto and off the bridge from River Street will be closed during these periods during stage one.

The community will be given more information about these traffic changes closer to the dates.

There will be intermittent restrictions on the movement of vehicles wider than 3.5 metres during the single lane closures.

Operators of oversize and/or overmass vehicles are asked to call the project team on 1800 653 092 24 hours prior to reaching the work site.