The $580 million Foxground and Berry Bypass passes a significant milestone this week with the first of the bridge girders to form a large bridge over Broughton Creek due to go in place.
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The first girder for the northernmost creek crossing at Broughton, known as Broughton Creek 1, was to be installed on Tuesday.
It will be the first of three spans.
The new approaches and bridge will eliminate a notorious bend and bridge, which has been the scene of many accidents over the years.
The 32-metre “super T” girders, weigh around 56 tonnes each, with 22 cubic metres of concrete used to make each girder.
They will be lifted into place by a 500-tonne crane, which takes a day to set up and is so large, eight trucks and trailers are needed to transport its counterweights and boom.
The girders will be the first of more than 400 to be used throughout the construction of the 11.6km Princes highway upgrade between Toolijooa Road and Schofields Lane.
A total of 127 large girders, which have been manufactured in Newcastle, have been delivered for the main bridges, while 64 smaller beams are being manufactured in Bendigo and will also be delivered and stored on site.
Girders will continue to be delivered on site until early next year.
Media were taken on a tour of the work site on Monday by Roads and Maritime Services and construction company Fulton Hogan.
Controlled blasting continues to break up hard rock at Toolijooa Ridge and Austral Park.
Six blasts have been undertaken with a total of 50 expected before the work is completed in late 2016.
Material gained from the blasting is being crushed on site and used in other parts of the project.
Other crossings of the creek are also well advanced, with drilling also taking place on the southernmost Berry bridge over Broughton Creek, just north of the Berry township.
Work on other bridges, underpasses and cuttings are also progressing on the new highway, which will criss-cross its way north across the existing highway.
A concrete batching plant is operating at Austral Park and has provided three quarters of all the concrete for the 300 cubic metre stage one pour of the bridge at Tindalls Lane.
Work on the diversion of Town Creek, to allow a lower noise mound and reduce flooding of Berry, has also started.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier for the Illawarra and South Coast and Kiama MP Gareth Ward, who was joined by upper house colleague Shayne Mallard during the tour, said it was hard to believe it was only seven months ago work had started.
“Work has progressed well on all 18 bridges being built as part of this new four-lane divided highway which will improve safety and travel times for motorists,” he said.
Motorists are advised there will be minor delays while the girders are lifted into place and are advised to allow additional travel time.