The Northern Road upgrade see Orchard Hills bridge replacement over Queen's Birthday long weekend
Demolition of the old bridge on the June 2019 Queen's Birthday long weekend which connected The Northern Road across the M4 Motorway at Orchard Hills is now complete, with around 6,000 tonnes of concrete and steel removed.
Around 60 workers did the job across the long weekend to demolish an old bridge across one of the busiest motorways in Sydney.
Minister for Roads Andrew Constance said crews are packing up demolition equipment and temporary protection measures across the M4 to reopen the motorway to traffic before Tuesday’s morning peak.
“Demolishing the old bridge in three days, rather than the alternative of up to 20 weeks of night closures, has minimised disruption to both motorists and residents and improved safety for workers.”
“The old bridge was more than 40 years old and needed to be removed as it no longer had the capacity to meet the future traffic needs of Western Sydney.
Constance said a range of equipment was used to demolish the old bridge including cranes, excavators, trucks, hand tools and pulverisers.
The bridge demolition by excavators with claw-like attachments removed the deck and piers in around 36 hour.
The material removed from the old bridge has been transported to stockpile areas and will be recycled for use on the remainder of The Northern Road upgrade between Glenmore Parkway and Jamison Road.
The Northern Road upgrade between The Old Northern Road and Jamison Road will provide increased road capacity for expected future growth and development when complete in 2022.
The Federal Government has committed $1.2 billion to the $1.6 billion The Northern Road Upgrade, with the NSW Government committing $400 million.
