The new Edwards Bridge is almost ready to re-open to vehicles and pedestrians.
A major milestone ahead of the bridge’s opening was met this week, with a major concrete pour of the bridge’s footpaths and road surface.
Despite a wet winter, the bridge is currently on track to open to traffic by the end of September.
Delays in the delivery of the barrier railings mean that the bridge won’t be fully complete until October, but Warrnambool City Council CEO Peter Schneider said that opening the bridge as soon as possible was a priority.
“Thank you to everyone for their patience while this vital project took place,” he said.
“We know everyone is keen to see the bridge re-open as soon as possible, that’s why our project team has been working with the head contractor on a solution to allow traffic through while we wait for the permanent railings to be installed.
“This will allow the bridge to be open in a temporary configuration to vehicle traffic in both directions, with a barrier between vehicles and pedestrians.
“Then by the end of October, we will have the bridge fully complete with pedestrian access on both sides of the bridge with on-road bike lanes in both directions. Making Edwards Bridge safer for people to walk and ride across was a big part of the project.
“While the barriers are being installed, the bridge may revert to a single lane of traffic, but access across the bridge will be maintained.
“At $4.6 million, this is one of our largest infrastructure projects of the year and it’s something that will still be going strong into the next century.”
The Edwards Bridge Renewal is a partnership between the Australian Government and the Warrnambool City Council, with Council having successfully applied for $2 million in grant funding via the Australian Government’s Bridges Renewal Program.