Mr Primrose held a public meeting in Dubbo on Friday to hear the community’s feedback on the $140 million bridge proposal. About 40 people were in attendance.

Concerns were raised about the bridge being built on floodplains, the safety of trucks using the bridge and the disruption to an Aboriginal heritage and cultural site.

There were also calls made for a bypass or ring road to be constructed instead of the bridge.

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However, Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said the project was never intended to be a ring road or bypass.

“Let’s keep in mind 85 per cent of all vehicles coming to Dubbo are coming in to Dubbo, they don’t want to use a ring road or a bypass, they’re coming in to do their business, to do their trade,” Ms Pavey said.

“This is about relieving congestion in Dubbo as well as a flood-free alternative.”

Dubbo Regional Council recently held a survey on the River Street Bridge and its proposed location.

There were 2603 responses from the community. Of those, 31 per cent said they supported the River Street option, while 69 per cent said they were against it.

Another 93 per cent of respondents said they supported a ring road or a bypass.

Mr Primrose said it was clear the community didn’t believe the government had considered all their options when it came to the bridge.

“Every point that has been raised by the residents, by the community groups and the council are all legitimate questions. They all need to be answered and they should be answered by the government through RMS and its other agencies,” he said.

“If they can’t answer them then you have to look at alternative options.”

The Shadow Minister said it shouldn’t have been himself holding a public meeting about the bridge, but a minister and a representative from the RMS.

“I’ve been driven around the locations, I’ve looked at photos of flooding, I spoke to people in the trucking industry who raised concerns. We’ve spent time with two or three different truck drivers who have had different views. There is a lot of concern,” Mr Primrose said.

Now he feels he has all the information, Mr Primrose said he would speak to the Shadow Roads Minister Jodi McKay, as well as the rest of the shadow cabinet, to put together a recommendation about the bridge.

“I’m in no position to assess. I’m not an engineer. I can’t tell you whether there are answers to these questions. But the sheer fact is there have been so many legitimate questions and they should be taken seriously, they should be answered,” Mr Primrose said.