After more than three years of construction, Dubbo’s newest river crossing will welcome its first motorists, with the 660-metre Aunty Pearl Gibbs Bridge opening to traffic on Saturday 14 November.
Dubbo is a vital hub for the Central West, connecting rural and remote communities to essential health, education and other services, while supporting freight movements between regional NSW and Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.
The $263.2 million project, with $210.6 million from the Albanese Labor Government and $52.6 million from the Minns Labor Government, is one of the largest road infrastructure projects to be delivered in Dubbo and marks the beginning of a new chapter for travel through the city.
From daily commutes and school runs to freight movements through the Central West, the new bridge will make getting around Dubbo easier and provide the road connections needed to improve community access to essential services and the city’s future growth.
The official opening celebrates the formal adoption of the name Aunty Pearl Gibbs Bridge, honouring the legacy of a prominent Aboriginal woman and pioneering Aboriginal rights campaigner.
Building the 660-metre bridge has been a massive undertaking, with 89 piles supporting the bridge, 7,750 cubic metres of concrete forming the deck and more than 121,000 cubic metres of material moved during construction. That’s enough to fill 48 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The project has supported 1,490 jobs, including 30% local workers and 20% identifying as Aboriginal.
More than 400 locals turned out last month for a special community day, enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk across the new bridge, experience the scale of the project firsthand and take in views of the Macquarie River from the deck.
Finishing work will continue into 2027 including completing upgrades at the River and Bourke Street and Thompson and Whylandra Street intersections, landscaping and beautification of Wiradjuri Park with new planting, signage, pathways and shelters.
