Dubbo Regional Council’s (DRC) CEO, Murray Wood and Manager Infrastructure Strategy and Design Chris Godfrey were pleased to attend the first ‘flicking of the switch’ on Tuesday 14 December, as the new traffic lights at the Cobra and Fitzroy streets intersection were officially activated this week.
Mr Wood said Council’s ability to work collaboratively with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has meant the community has received a quality project that ensures a safer commute but also an improved infrastructure network for the city’s future.
“We are often quick to judge a project on what we can see on the surface, but with intersections of this scale, there is usually more work done in the planning phase and underneath the road surface than what is done on the top,” said Mr Wood.
“This project is a clear example of collaboration between state and local levels of government, to get the best outcomes for the entire community, not just for the now, but for the future,” he said.
The $19 million project received $10 million in funding following the amalgamation of the former Wellington and Dubbo City Council’s with DRC outsourcing the major works to TfNSW to form part of the larger Building a Better Dubbo initiative.
Mr Godfrey said the major upgrade project for Dubbo’s transport network involved the upgrade of some aging infrastructure that was key to the city’s development. “The intersection itself is located in an older area within Dubbo and as such, much of the infrastructure beneath the pavement was reaching end of life prior to the construction of the new traffic signals.
“An extensive stormwater pipe network exists beneath the intersection. The original infrastructure was built in the 1930s, mostly from hand mixed concrete that was cast in situ at depths of up to 3m, and with pipe diameters ranging up to 900mm. Robotic camera inspection performed by Council revealed that much of the pipe network was reaching end of life and required upgrading in the near future,” Mr Godfrey said.
Throughout the design process, Council staff worked with TfNSW’s design team to ensure that the entire pipe network was replaced. There were a number of water mains under the intersection that were predominantly made from cast iron from the 1930s and were reaching the end of their useful lives. As part of the upgrade and in collaboration with Council staff, TfNSW replaced the pipe network with a ring system encircling the new intersection, which included the installation of new fire hydrants and placing stop valves on footpaths to allow Council maintenance staff safe and easy access without impeding traffic flow.
A large trunk water main was also replaced through the intersection, ensuring the security of water for residential areas as far away as Harefield Road in Dubbo.
In total, approximately 400m of aging water mains were replaced, with diameters ranging between 100mm and 375mm.
It is anticipated the new pipe network will serve the Dubbo community for at least the next 100 years.
Council would like to thank the NSW Government and TfNSW for their commitment and co-operation throughout the project.
