Geotechnical investigations are underway for the planned replacement of The Bight Bridge at Wingham, marking a key milestone in the project to restore the flood-damaged river crossing.
The NSW Reconstruction Authority has approved early design and scoping funding for the project, allowing preliminary investigations to begin ahead of detailed design work.
The investigations involve a barge and core drilling rig operating on the Manning River, with specialist crews collecting core samples from four locations across the river. The geological testing will provide engineers with information about riverbed and rock conditions and help determine the foundation requirements for the new bridge.
The findings will be used to assess how bridge abutments and piers should be anchored into the riverbed to withstand future flood events and other loading conditions.
Myall Lakes MP Tanya Thompson said it was encouraging to see progress on a project that remains important to the local community.
“It’s great to see investigation works underway for The Bight Bridge. The community has waited a long time to reach this point, and it’s encouraging to see tangible progress towards rebuilding this vital connection,” Thompson said.
“These investigations are a critical step in ensuring the new bridge is designed and built to meet the needs of our community well into the future.”
MidCoast Council Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Rob Scott said the investigations would provide essential information for the bridge design.
“The core samples will provide us with a detailed understanding of the ground conditions beneath the river, which is essential for determining the strength and depth of the bridge foundations,”Scott said.
“The rest of the bridge design relies on this information, so completing this work is a major milestone in progressing the project.”
Scott said the investigations formed part of Council’s strategy to progress multiple elements of the design process at the same time.
“Geotechnical investigations are one of the major preliminary activities required to complete the bridge design,” Scott said.
“By undertaking this work now, alongside other design activities, we can continue moving the project forward as efficiently as possible.”
The geotechnical investigations are expected to be completed this week and will help guide the next stages of planning and engineering design.
Council expects design work for the replacement bridge to be completed later this year. The current project timeline aims to have the project ready to go to tender in early 2027, with the new bridge expected to open to traffic in 2028.
Further updates will be provided as the project progresses. Authorities say efforts will be made to minimise disruption to the community during the investigation works.
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