Wagga Wagga City Council advises residents and road users there will be a major change to traffic conditions on Ivan Jack Drive, with bridge and road rehabilitation works set to start on Monday 10 February 2025, weather permitting.
The road and bridge will be closed 24 hours a day between Johnston Street and Morrow Street for the duration of the works, which are expected to take up to six weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions.
Director Infrastructure Services Henry Pavitt said the closure will impact motorists and pedestrians who use Ivan Jack Drive to travel between the southern and northern parts of the city centre.
"There will be no access through work site, which will cover bridge, the footpaths, and the full length of Ivan Jack Drive," Mr Pavitt said.
"Detours will be in place and the road will be under traffic control. We're encouraging the community to allow extra time for their journey and use an alternate route.
"We recognise the inconvenience the bridge and road closure will cause, but we appreciate your understanding as we carry out these important works."
Opened in 1962, the Ivan Jack Drive Bridge spans the Wollundry Lagoon, linking Trail Street to Best Street.
A five-yearly inspection of the bridge in 2024 determined that while it was structurally sound and safe, it required some stabilisation and structural works.
The rectification works will include stabilisations of the wing walls, which hold the soil around the bridge, and structural improvements to the bridge abutments at either end of the bridge.
"This work will be followed by the road rehabilitation phase, covering the length of Ivan Jack Drive from The Esplanade-Best Street intersection to the Johnston-Trail streets roundabout," Mr Pavitt said.
"As part of this phase, we will be addressing the uneven approaches we currently have to the bridge by lifting the road, kerb and guttering and footpath to the finished surface level of the bridge structure."
The works will take place between 7am to 7pm, Mondays to Fridays, and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, starting on Monday 10 February and finishing on Friday 21 March, weather permitting.
The project will be funded under Council's Bridge Replacement Reserve and Civil Infrastructure Reserve and its existing annual roadworks program for 2024-2025.
