13 November 2017

Gunnedah Shire Mayor Jamie Chaffey and Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton will officially open Simson Bridge at Breeza on December 19 after major upgrade works have been completed.

Simson Bridge is located approximately 2.9 kilometres north of Breeza, over the Mooki River on Clifton Road. The bridge was a wooden/concrete composite, single lane structure linking Carroll and Breeza, and was well towards the end of its serviceable life.

Gunnedah Shire Council’s Acting Director Infrastructure Services Edward Paas said the upgrade project has involved constructing a new dual lane concrete bridge to facilitate increasing productivity for heavy vehicles, including higher mass loads and reduced travel times.

“The opening of the new Simson Bridge over the Mooki River at Breeza ticks all the boxes for what road users want in an infrastructure project. It is a quintuple win for the community in terms of better safety with the widened bridge, improved flood immunity, reduced travel times, improved freight efficiency and increased load limits,” Mr Paas said.

“The works have come in on time and under budget and are a tribute to the team of bridge contractor Murrays Constructions and Council staff involved in the design and construction of the new road approaches. The agricultural and freight industry along Clifton Road, between Carroll and Breeza, will now have significant improvement in their operations as a result of this project.”

Photo: Simson Bridge was officially opened on December 19 by Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton and Gunnedah Shire Mayor Jamie Chaffey. Councillors, Council Staff and local families were also in attendance.

ENDS

Media Contact: Ashley Gardner 6740 2100.