City of Greater Geraldton’s Nangetty-Walkaway Bridge project progressing, set for September completion

Progress is being made on the Nangetty-Walkaway Bridge, with the project set to be completed in September, according to the City of Greater Geraldton.

The project, which commenced in late January, saw the then-60-year-old bridge knocked down to make way for the new one.

The $9 million project aimed to make the new bridge more suitable to modern transport requirements, including road trains.

The project was funded through the Federal Government, the State Government and the City of Greater Geraldton.

City project manager Thomas Watkins said progress was being made.

“We’ve got all the piles in and we’re now building up the abutment walls,” he said.

“We’ve got some capping and some testing to do . . . from there we can build all the foundations around it.”

Mr Watkins said scaffolding wasn’t far away for them to begin building the columns, with everything so far on track.

“We’re on program at the moment, it’s all going well budget and timewise,” he said.

“Fortec has done a fantastic job up to here.”

Initial projections suggested the project would be completed in August.

Mr Watkins said they were on track for a September finish, but was mindful rain could cause delays over the coming months.

City of Greater Geraldton mayor Jerry Clune said although it was sad to lose the old bridge, the new one would be better equipped to handle heavy vehicles and had Main Roads specifications.

“It’s going to be a great asset for the city that’s come in,” he said.

“The old one was pretty sadly worn out, this one is specced for the trucks of today and tomorrow, certainly a bigger load capacity with them.

“We have asked for a little bit of patience from the community while this is under construction.”