Hobart's Bridge

Temporary Closure

Upcoming Closures

Chrysalis School Access Road will be closed on Friday 15 August from 10am - 12pm.

Hobarts Bridge will be closed on Saturday 23 August from 9am to 4pm.

No alternative access will be available during these closures.

Project typeBridge Renewal
Project value$2.94M
Project scheduleImplementation
Contractor nameCoastal Works

Timeframe

Construction commenced March 2025 with end of 2025 completion planned.

Community Impacts

The new bridge will be constructed adjacent to the existing timber bridge to ensure community access is maintained. There will be traffic control on the road periodically meaning there may be some delays through bridge work zones. During any major disruptions, notifications to community will be provided via online channels and VMS boards.

Upcoming Road Closures

Friday 15 August

Please be advised that Chrysalis School Access Road on Darkwood Road will be temporarily closed on Friday 15 August from 10am -12pm for concrete pouring and girder installation.

No alternative access will be available during this time.

A Variable Message Sign (VMS) will also be utilised at the start of Darkwood Road to notify the community of this closure.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue these important works.

Saturday 23 August

Please be advised that Darkwood Road will be closed at Hobarts Bridge on Saturday 23 August from 9am to 4pm.

This temporary closure is necessary to allow for the deck pour of the new bridge.

No alternative access will be available during this time.

A Variable Message Sign (VMS) will also be utilised at the start of Darkwood Road to notify the community of this closure.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue these important works.

About the Bridge

Hobarts Bridge is located on Darkwood Road approximately 7 kilometres from the intersection with Waterfall Way. The existing bridge was originally built in the 1960s, with ageing and wear beginning to pose ongoing concerns. Hobarts bridge is one of the first bridges to be cut by flood waters in the Darkwood Valley, isolating residents beyond. The new bridge will be a single lane, concrete bridge, lifted in height by approx. 1.5 metres.

Environmental Approvals

Bellingen Shire Council completed extensive environmental assessments for the replacement of the bridges (Justins, Joyces, Hobarts and Duffys).

Through this assessment process the potential for impacts to the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle (Myuchelys georgesi) were identified a part of the construction of the new bridges.

Council assessed the Project under Part 5 Division 5.1 of the Environment Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) and Part 7 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act).

As part of the assessment for the work a Species Impact Statement (SIS) was issued to Biodiversity and Conservation Division of the Department of Planning and Environment and made available for public exhibition.

The purpose of a Species Impact Statement (SIS) is to:

Allow the proponent to identify threatened species, ecological communities, or their habitats, assess the likely effect of impact from the activity on threatened species, ecological communities, or their habitats, and provide appropriate amelioration for adverse impacts resulting from the activity.

The Federal Environmental approval have been granted and can be found here

CO10000-ENV-PLN-0001_EMP_DarkwoodBridges_v0.4.pdf(PDF, 8MB)

12611463-REP-1_REF-Hobarts-Bridge.pdf(PDF, 65MB)

4636-1034-GBF-Management-Plan-All-Bridges_V3.pdf(PDF, 8MB)

CO10000-ENV-PLN-0001-ERSED-Control-Plan_v1.pdf(PDF, 11MB)

CO10000-ENV-PLN-0002-Hygiene-Plan.pdf(PDF, 755KB)

CO10000-ENV-PLN-0003-Weed-and-Pest-Management-Plan.pdf(PDF, 874KB)

CO10000-ENV-PLN-0004-Water-Quality-Management-Plan.pdf(PDF, 430KB)

CO10000-ENV-REG-0003-Project-Non-Conformance-Register.pdf(PDF, 67KB)

CO10000-ENV-SOP-0002-Basic-Hygiene-Procedure.pdf(PDF, 267KB)

CO10000-ENV-SOP-0003-Strict-Hygiene-Procedure.pdf(PDF, 269KB)

CO10000-WHS-PLA-0001-Emergency-Response-Plan.pdf(PDF, 383KB)