Council has received grant funding from the NSW Government to upgrade Briars Sharrow crossing to a concrete bridge structure.
The new bridge will be more than 80m long, 9m wide and will be constructed 4m higher than the existing crossing.
The project also includes around 718m of roadworks, increasing road approach width from single lane to two lanes, and the removal of the ‘giveway’ arrangements.
We are currently in negotiations with a contractor to design and construct the new bridge.
What's happened
- REF completed following biodiversity and heritage investigations
- Preliminary bridge layout and flood modelling completed
- Tender for detailed design and construction was recently closed
- Council endorsed entering into negotiations with a contractor to design and construct the bridge at the December 2025 meeting of Council
What's next
- Road closure of Briars Sharrow Road between Plains Road and Captains Flat Road will be required.
- Construction to commence mid 2026 and be completed mid 2027.
- REF has been submitted for determination. An Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit application will be submitted following REF determination to permit impacts to Aboriginal heritage items prior to works commencing in those areas.
- Contractor completion of geotechnical investigations and service relocations will be required before the majority works can commence.
FAQs
Why do we need to build the bridge?
The current Briars Sharrow Crossing is flood prone, and is regularly inundated. We have received funding from the NSW Government to construct a new bridge.
Why does the road need to be closed for construction?
The new bridge will be constructed on a very similar alignment as the current crossing. The bridge cannot be constructed without closing the road.
Why does the bridge have to be built on the same alignment?
When we build a new bridge, we need to build it above the 1% AEP (Annual Exceedance Probability) level. A 1% AEP flood has a 1% or 1 in 100 chance of being reached or exceeded in a given year.
We are not able to move the alignment of the new bridge to the west, due to private residences, a greater impact to existing services, greater impacts to Aboriginal artefacts, and more cost with likely rock excavation.
Moving the bridge to the east would mean a much longer and more costly bridge as it would need to cross a wider flood area. It would also have a greater impact on biodiversity, Aboriginal artefacts and existing services.
What will the road closure be?
Briars Sharrow Road between Plains Road and Captains Flat Road will be closed during construction. Depending on your start point and intended destination, detours may be:
- South on Hoskinstown Road towards Captains Flat Road
- North on Briars Sharrow Road to Hoskinstown Road towards Bungendore
- North on Hoskinstown Road to Trucking Yard Lane to Kings Highway