Anyone on the banks of the Shoalhaven River near the construction site of the new Nowra bridge on Monday afternoon were treated to a spectacular site.
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A 51-metre long and 16-metre wide barge delivered 16 pile casings to be used as marine piling in the $342 million project.
The barge departed from Brisbane and took about six days to arrive, travelling up the Shoalhaven River at low tide to allow the massive load to fit under the existing bridges.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said each of the 16 pile casings delivered were between 30-metres and 58-metres long.
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"These casings will be used for marine piling which will begin after Easter," the spokesperson said.
Of the 39 piles for the new bridge, 20 of these will be constructed off barges.
"Those 20 piles will form the foundation of five piers in the river," the spokesperson said.
This is the next stage of the project, with teams already installed the casings on the shallower, southern side of the Shoalhaven River, utilising a 130m long and around 45m wide, temporary rock platform made up of around 22,000 tonnes of material.
Some of the pylons for the new four lane bridge will be up to 60 metres below the riverbed.
The site was also impacted by the recent wet weather the region faced, including the Shoalhaven River experiencing minor flooding.
The large rock platform, affectionately known by locals as Fulton Hogan Island, was completely submerged, and all the heavy and drilling machinery relocated to the southern shore before the river suffered flooding.
Nowra bridge site closes down over Esater
The Nowra Bridge project site will shut down for the Easter long weekend from 6pm Thursday, April 1 until 7am Tuesday, April 6.
There will be no construction work during this time, however reduced work zone speed limits will continue to be enforced.
The closure of the northbound bridge footpath at night will continue in April but will only be in place between Sunday and Thursday with a detour via the footpath on the southbound bridge.
The lower eastern footpath to the southern foreshore will also be closed during some of this work.
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Robert Crawford
Robert Crawford is a senior journalist at the South Coast Register, for Australian Community Media . Everyone's got a story, what's yours? Email robert.crawford@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Robert Crawford is a senior journalist at the South Coast Register, for Australian Community Media . Everyone's got a story, what's yours? Email robert.crawford@austcommunitymedia.com.au
