The replacement of Melville Ford Bridge will help mitigate the impact of minor flooding on Maitland residents. Jointly funded by the NSW and Australian Governments with contributions from Maitland City Council, the $8.2 million project will see a new dual lane, concrete bridge built over the Hunter River to replace the existing timber bridge. The new bridge will be much higher than the existing bridge and will reduce the time the road is closed in the event of flooding or help avoid road closures entirely.
Funding has been sourced from the NSW Regional Roads Fund ($2.5 million), the Fixing Country Bridges Program ($1.61 million), the Regional Roads Transport Recovery Package ($2.54 million) and $1.61 million from Council.
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$8.2m
Total project budget
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10 months
Life span of works
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Mid-late 2025
Expected completion date
Project updates
From Monday 11 November until Friday 20 December 2024, Melville Ford Bridge will be closed to traffic while piling foundations are installed on site.
These foundations will be used to support ongoing construction work throughout the course of the project.
Once installation is complete, the bridge will reopen to traffic ahead of Christmas.
VMS boards and other signage will be on site to remind residents and motorists of the upcoming closure.
Further closures are expected in 2025 and we will continue to notify the community of these closures in advance via our Facebook page, Live Traffic, on site signage and this web page.