Final piece in place on New M5 Bridges
04 Oct 2019
A 30 tonne beam has been craned into place completing the final bridge on the new M5 project the Super-T girder is the finishing touch on the new Gardeners Road bridge across the Alexandra Canal.
Minister for Roads Andrew Constance said the bridge would provide drivers with a direct link between Gardeners Road, Mascot and the St Peters Interchange.
“After more than 80 years, the community around St Peters and Mascot will soon have access to two new connections across the Alexandra Canal,” Mr Constance said. “The Gardeners Road bridges are an important connection and will help alleviate congestion on local roads. They'll also allow drivers to directly connect to the New M5 and M4-M5 Link Tunnels from Mascot via the St Peters Interchange.”
Mr Constance said the completion of the ten bridge structures was a significant milestone for the project and had also provided an economic boost to regional communities. “The bridge pieces, including the 17 metre-long T-shaped 'Super T's', were made at the Hunter and Coffs Harbour precast yards and all materials were locally supplied,” Mr Constance said. “Production of these segments helped to create around 200 jobs over the past two years in regional communities stretching all the way to the mid-coast. “Work on site has now turned to the construction of a major retaining wall within St Peters Interchange to help create the six hectares of new open space being delivered as part of the New M5.”
Drivers will be able to test out the bridges when the New M5 opens in 2020. WestConnex is being delivered in four major stages, including the New M4 (now open), the New M5, opening in 2020 and the M4-M5 Link, opening in 2023. When complete, WestConnex will provide drivers with a 33km, traffic-light free network.
