Over the next 12 months, a total of 123 girders will each make the 400-kilometre journey from Newcastle to Dubbo for the construction of the $220.2 million New Dubbo Bridge.
With piling work progressing well for the 660-metre bridge, which will run across the Macquarie River, the precast beams to support the new bridge are being transported by road between now and August 2024 – the first of these have now been delivered on site.
The girders weigh 60 tonnes and are 34 metres long. Due to their size, only one girder fits on each truck and Goldsprings Heavy Haulage has been tasked with the moves.
“The planning for these monster movements has been taking place for months to ensure this road cargo is transported as safely, smoothly and efficiently as possible,” said Transport for NSW regional director west Alistair Lunn.
Once a truck makes the journey from Newcastle, travelling west along the Golden Highway before arriving in Dubbo, a crane is used to retrieve the girders from the trucks and place them into storage.
“There are several small bridges and tight turns to navigate along the route, including at Dunedoo where the pilot vehicle needs to stop traffic to coordinate getting the load around the tight corner safely,” Lunn said.
“We’ve planned these journeys to minimise the impact on road users during the next year of carefully planned trips.”
Each convoy consists of a truck between 38 and 45 metres in length, accompanied by escort vehicles.
“At this stage, we expect to be placing the girders onto the bridge structure from late 2023, weather permitting,” added Lunn.
The New Dubbo Bridge is being jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
