New Watagan Creek Bridges open to traffic

Published on 26 September 2024

Council's Project Engineer; Shiva Reddy, Director of Works & Infrastructure; Paul McLachlan and Project Manager; Abid Khan, at Watagan Creek Bridge 1.

Cessnock City Council is pleased to announce that the new $1.8 million Watagan Creek Bridge 1 and neighbouring $1.25 million Watagan Creek Bridge 3 in Laguna are now open for public use, with the major works completed marking a significant upgrade for the region.

Watagan Creek Bridge 1 located 270m southeast of the Great North Road at Laguna, involved replacing the existing narrow, single-laned timber bridge with a concrete bridge structure. The increase in width now provides dual lane access over the creek and the deck height has been raised by 1 meter to provide stronger flood immunity.

Watagan Creek Bridge 3, located 4.8 km from Great North Road, had its historical value preserved by constructing a new bridge over the old structure, allowing the removal of load restrictions, improving access for residents and emergency services, and providing for the efficient and smooth transport of goods.

The Watagan Creek Bridge 1 project was fully grant funded under the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Bridges Program, while Council funded works on Watagan Creek Bridge 3.

Cessnock City Council’s Director of Works and Infrastructure, Paul McLachlan, expressed his enthusiasm about the early completion of the major works projects.

"We’re excited to unveil these fantastic new bridges, which are now open for use to residents from across the local area and the wider Cessnock LGA," said Mr McLachlan.

"The old bridges were not only deteriorating but posed increasing limitations for emergency services access and the transport of goods. With no load limits, the new bridges offer improved accessibility, facilitating better emergency response times and the efficiency of local goods transport.

"Along with boosting connectivity and safety for our community, installation of the new concrete bridge at Watagan Creek Bridge 1 will also reduce annual maintenance costs by 80 per cent."

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said the NSW Government is committed to improving connectivity for the state’s regional and rural communities.

"I am delighted to see the completion of these bridges. This project at Watagan Creek Bridge 1 is a testament to the NSW Government’s ongoing efforts to invest in vital infrastructure that supports our communities," said Minister Aitchison.

"By improving our regional roads and bridges, we are not only enhancing safety but also ensuring accessibility for all."

The Watagan Creek Bridge 1 project commenced in May 2024 and Watagan Creek Bridge 3 project commenced in June 2024. For more details, please visit the Major works page here.