A heavy-vehicle bypass for Dubbo looks unlikely to happen after Transport for NSW admitted they are not looking into the matter.
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After local truck driver Rod Hannifey called for a bypass to be considered in place of the River Sreet bridge, Transport for NSW said they are not currently considering a project to construct an alternate route.
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said they are working with Dubbo Regional Council to provide the best roads they can while keeping an eye on the future.
"Dubbo Regional Council's Transportation Strategy sets out a vision for providing future road network options such as ring roads," they said.
"While a ring road or bypass may be a project for the future, it is not currently being considered by Transport for NSW."
The River Street bridge is close to beginning construction and the spokesperson for Transport for NSW said in just a few days the first work will be underway.
"The first phase of the New Dubbo Bridge project is underway with work on a critical new intersection starting on Monday 1 August," they said.
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"Abergeldie, on behalf of Transport for NSW, will deliver the new Brisbane Street and Darling Street intersection.
"The next phase of work includes test piling work in the floodplain, which is expected to commence by October 2022.
"These works are a critical first phase of the $220.2 million project to deliver a new crossing of the Macquarie River."
After tenders for the site were open earlier this year and the contractors locked in, the project is full steam ahead.
"Yes, multiple highways do present a challenge in designing a full Newell Highway bypass, because freight moves in several different directions once it reaches Dubbo," the spokesperson said.
"Moreover, traffic modelling shows that up to 90 per cent of motorists (and 77 per cent of heavy vehicles) want to visit rather than travel past Dubbo, meaning an outer ring road/bypass option would only benefit 10 per cent of motorists.
"A ring road would also not solve east-west access to schools, the airport and emergency services during flooding."
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