A Shorten Labor Government will invest up to $50 million to assist build a new concrete bridge over the Shoalhaven River at Nowra.
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Labor’s candidate for Gilmore Fiona Phillips and Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones made the announcement on the banks of the Shoalhaven River on Wednesday morning.
It is estimated the total cost of the bridge construction would be more than $100 million.
“We are pledging this money to ensure we get this bridge built,” Mr Jones said.
“If you are a resident of Nowra, indeed the entire Shoalhaven, you know what the traffic is like here in the morning and the afternoon, banked back for hundreds of metres.
“It’s absolutely critical to the local region.
“This is one of the oldest bridges in NSW - the existing bridge was constructed more than 130 years ago and is fast approaching the end of its useful life. It is past its use-by date.
“We know it is a critical piece of infrastructure that needs to be built and we are announcing a Labor government will get this bridge built.”
He said the old steel Nowra bridge was already straining under the weight of the almost 50,000 vehicles that use it every day – a figure that’s only likely to grow in the years ahead.
“Bill Shorten was in Nowra just last month and heard directly from the local community about the need to get on with building a new bridge over the Shoalhaven River,” Mr Jones said.
“In office, federal Labor will partner with the NSW government to do precisely that.”
Mrs Phillips said the news was a “fabulous announcement”.
“I was preselected back in March and in less than two months I’m really proud to be standing here and delivering on our number one priority, which was to get the new Nowra bridge built,” she said.
“The Member for Gilmore [Ann Sudmalis] has been there since 2011 and hasn’t been able to get the funding for construction of the bridge.
“I’ve been here less than two months in this role and am delighted to say we will get this bridge built.
“This is about trying to ease some of the massive traffic congestion problems around Illaroo and Bolong roads in the north and Pleasant Way and Bridge Road in the south.
“This is also important for business and jobs in our local area.”
Mr Jones said the announcement was a tribute to Mrs Phillips’ “unrelenting lobbying efforts”.
“Fiona said as soon as she was preselected this was her number one priority and when Bill [Shorten] was down here a few weeks ago she showed him the bridge and made the case to him and we are committed to ensuring we get this bridge built,” he said.
He said the funding would come from the infrastructure budget.
Questioned over making such an announcement possibly two years out from the next election, Mr Jones said the answer was simple.
“People know if they vote for Fiona Phillips and a Shorten Labor Government we are going to get this bridge built,” he said.
“The challenge is now upon the sitting Member for GIlmore to put up what she is going to do because the people of Nowra have waited far too long to ensure the bridge is built.”
As for a time frame for possible construction, Mr Jones said Labor would ensure it was a number one priority for the region.
“We know we will have to work with the NSW Government which is going through studies and engineering design works at the moment but this money, a $50 million input of funds from a Shorten Government will ensure this project and the bridge gets brought forward and it will be a reality,” he said.
Mrs Phillips said it is understood the new bridge would be located to the western side of the current structures.
The new concrete bridge would provide more lanes and a more stable foundation, “a bridge fit for the future,” Mr Jones said.
Mrs Sudmalis has often stated, as did Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a visit to Nowra in February, that the government was waiting for costings before announcing any possible funding.
“Obviously we will have to work with the state government who own the bridge and the surrounding road network. But we are confident that $50m will get this bridge built,” Mr Jones said.
“We are confident that both levels of government, working together, will ensure the people of Nowra no longer have to pull their hair out every morning and afternoon as the traffic banks up and they can’t get across the bridge.”
Mr Jones would not be drawn on possible Labor funding to complete the upgrade of the Princes Highway and fired a shot a state Kiama MP Gareth Ward.
“Mr Ward needs to make sure the road gets put on the federal government list,” he said.
“At the moment it’s not. At the moment the road and parts of the road he’s talking about are 100 per cent the responsibility of the state government. If Gareth Ward and his state Liberal government want to get a better deal from the federal Liberal government around state roads, all they need to do is pick up the phone and talk to their Liberal counterparts in Canberra.”
Mrs Phillips said she was waiting to see out the outcome of consultation regarding the future of the old Nowra bridge structure.
“I love the Nowra bridge. I’ve looked at some of the options with the Shoalhaven Historical Society and the community submissions. It would be nice to retain the bridge but obviously that’s a decision for the NSW government,” she said.
She believes she will again face Mrs Sudmalis in the next federal election but said it didn’t matter who the candidate was, it was about “policies”.
“We’re here today with $50 million for the new Nowra bridge and that’s what counts in terms of the people of Gilmore and for jobs as well,” she said.
Nowra bridge timeline
1818: Located in Nowra and known as the gateway to the South Coast, the 342-metre iron truss bridge – i.e. the old Nowra Bridge – was completed in 1881.
1889: At the time of its construction it was the largest bridge in NSW and remained the largest until 1889 when the Hawkesbury River Bridge was completed.
1980: A second Shoalhaven River crossing was constructed in 1980 for northbound traffic and planning is now under way for a third river crossing that will remove traffic from the old Nowra Bridge.
According the NSW Government’s Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), the old Nowra Bridge is:
- Becoming more difficult and costly to maintain;
- Increasingly congested at peak times;
- Unusable by some large and heavy trucks;
- At high risk of damage and closure if impacted by an over height vehicle.
The NSW government has already invested $1.6 million on planning for a replacement bridge. The federal government has committed a further $10 million to finalise the planning and design work.
2014: In July 2014, the NSW Roads and Freight Minister announced the new bridge would be built upstream from the existing crossing to the west of the concrete bridge.
Almost 50,000 vehicles use the bridge every day – a figure that is expected to grow in the years ahead.