Work is set to start on a new $11.5 million bridge on North Rocks Road at North Parramatta that will help alleviate local flooding and improve access for cyclists and pedestrians.
At 14.4 metres long and 28m wide, the new Hunts Creek Bridge will support three lanes of traffic and feature a 3m shared pedestrian and cycle path on the eastern side, and a 3.6m shared path on the western side.
The 12-month construction program will replace existing stormwater culverts, constructed in the 1960s, with a new single-span concrete bridge that will help to improve the stormwater capacity of Hunts Creek and ease local flooding during periods of heavy rain.
Stage 1 works will commence this month with night works in place from 27 February to 12 March, Monday to Saturday. There will be one lane of traffic operating in each direction between 8pm and 5am with normal traffic flow to be reinstated by 5am each day.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Pierre Esber said that while delays and disruptions are expected, every effort will be made to reduce traffic congestion.
“This is one of our busiest roads and as the project progresses, there will be unavoidable delays for commuters travelling along North Rocks Road. I encourage people to allow extra travel time or avoid the road if you can,” Cr Esber said.
“The existing stormwater culverts are reaching the end of their serviceable life, which means necessary works are required to keep our growing community safe.”
Following the night work in February, piling and further utility investigations are planned to take place from mid-March. These works will also be carried out during the evenings between 8pm and 5am, where traffic controllers will divert motorists around the work zone.
From May to September, a section of North Rocks Road, from the Church Street/Windsor Road entrance to the Woolworths driveway at The Mills Centre, will become one-way (southbound). Detours will be in place and northbound motorists will be diverted away from North Rocks Road to James Ruse Drive and Pennant Hills Road.
Stages 2 and 3 involve the removal of the twin stormwater culverts and construction of the new bridge, followed by adjustments to the existing traffic signals and completion of the road pavement and line marking in Stage 4.
The new bridge and associated roadwork will take approximately 12 months to complete, with works scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2025. The project has received $4.5 million in funding from the Australian and NSW Governments.
Council has engaged Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure Pty Ltd for the Hunts Creek Bridge project. The Australian-owned civil engineering company also worked with Council on the Alfred Street Bridge and Escarpment Boardwalk projects.
