Joint Venture Acciona Ferrovial has been awarded the contract to design and build the proposed new bridge over the Clarence River at Harwood, NSW.
The new bridge will be built almost 30m high and 1.5km long, making it the longest of more than 100 new bridges built as a part of the 155km $4.36 billion Woolgoolga to Ballina section of the Pacific Highway.
The significant clearance on the new bridge will eliminate the lengthy traffic hold ups cause by the existing bridge, which is lifted around 5 times a week to allow boating vessels to pass underneath. It will be built 70m downstream from the existing bridge.
Artist Impression of the new bridge next tot the existing bridge. Source: NSW Roads and Maritime Services
The new bridge is a major milestone in meeting the 2020 deadline of completing the duplication of the Pacific Highway. Construction is expected to begin in August and is scheduled for completion in 2019, but Acciona Ferrovial regional director Guillermo Ripado hopes it will be finished by the end of 2018.
The two-year project will contribute an estimated 200 jobs to the 2,500 direct and 4,500 indirect jobs created on the Woolgoolga to Ballina section of the upgrade.
The upgrade has been the biggest boom for jobs in the community and some jobs may run for seven to eight years, providing a continued source of employment for workers.
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Source: Grafton Daily Examiner