Singleton's largest ever road infrastructure project is progressing well, with piling and pier work now underway on four bridges on the Singleton Bypass.
The eight-kilometre bypass will divert the New England Highway from travelling through Singleton, avoiding five sets of traffic lights and removing about 15,000 vehicles a day from the town centre. It will ease the passage of freight, improve safety and congestion, and deliver time savings for the 26,000 motorists who use this section of the New England Highway each day.
The project includes the construction of six bridges. The project reached a major milestone last week when the first girder was placed on the longest bridge - a 1.6-kilometre section on Doughboy Hollow floodplain.
Work is also well underway on bridges located at the southern connection, the crossing of the Hunter River and the crossing of the New England Highway at Gowrie. Piling and construction of piers will continue across the project for about three months.
A total of 435 girders, 207 piles and 161 pier columns will be put in place over the next six months to form the bridges, while other work is continuing across the project for the relocation of utilities and major earthworks.
The Singleton Bypass will feature eight kilometres of new highway, with a single lane in each direction, a full interchange at Putty Road and connections to the New England Highway at the southern and northern ends of the bypass and at Gowrie Gates.
The bypass is expected to open to traffic in late 2026, weather permitting. It is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales Governments, with the Commonwealth contributing $560 million and the New South Wales Government contributing $150 million.
