The Newcastle Inner City Bypass Rankin Park to Jesmond project has hit a major milestone overnight with the first of the project’s 42 precast girders lifted into position over the Jesmond roundabout.
This will be one of six bridges that will help carry traffic on this section of the Rankin Park to Jesmond project.
The bride will be built using 27 Super-T girders which weigh about 53 tonnes each and are 28.5 metres long.
The girders are being installed using a 750-tonne crane, which is one of the largest cranes in Australia.
“Having these girders lifted into place is really showing the Newcastle community the size of this project, as a key part of the bypass is being built before their eyes,” said Transport for NSW director for the north region, Anna Zycki.
The project involves building a 3.4km four-lane divided road to the west of John Hunter Hospital.
Traffic was diverted from Newcastle Road overnight for the Super-T girders to be moved into place. They connect the two piers built on the roundabout to create a three-span bridge.
“Today is a great day for Newcastle motorists and future visitors as we move closer to the completion of a project which will transform the way people travel to, from and around the region,” Zycki continued.
“The Newcastle Inner City Bypass will provide traffic relief for the local community by removing up to 30,000 vehicles each day from the existing route of Lookout Road, Croudace Street and Newcastle Road.
“These roads are currently being used by about 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles each day so once complete, locals will have less traffic to contend with during their daily life.”
The Australian and NSW governments are funding the fifth section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, which is a key route connecting the western suburbs of Newcastle.
Transport for NSW said the bypass will provide a “faster and more reliable journey” for those travelling on it, while improving safety on the surrounding road network, with the number of crashes predicted to fall by around 30 per cent.