9 October 2020

The new road over rail bridge on Chifley Road at Clarence is delivering safer and more efficient journeys between Bell and Lithgow, as part of the NSW Government’s $95 million Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road upgrade.

Acting Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said work was now complete on the road approaches to the new Clarence Bridge, which opened to traffic in February this year.

“For two years we have had teams working to build two new lanes of traffic, a wider and safer bridge, and also knock over safety upgrades along the adjacent Chifley Road,” Mr Toole said.

“With the new bridge and road upgrade project now completed, I am glad to say most of the construction material was sourced locally and 47 people were employed to carry out the project.

“We were able to maintain two-way traffic for the duration of the two-year construction to keep traffic flowing through the area.

“Work on this project, which started in October 2018, was at times spectacular, with a 750-tonne crane lifting five 56-tonne girders on top of the bridge supports in September last year.

“The project team was faced with many challenges as a result of devastating bushfires, extreme volumes of heavy rainfall, snow and high wind speeds all occurring at various stages during the project, but the team soldiered on to deliver this project on time and in budget.”

The scope of the project also included upgrade work for a safer intersection of Chifley Road and the road leading into the Clarence Colliery.

The existing bridge, built in 1943, was demolished in February this year, which involved cutting and removing segments of the bridge using a 250-tonne crane. The NSW Government provided $24.2 million to build the new bridge.

For more information visit: Chifley Road upgrade.