The new two lane bridge across the Hawkesbury River will also include a bypass of Richmond and North Richmond, creating an estimated 850 direct and indirect jobs.
The funding boost includes $200M from the Commonwealth and $50M in the upcoming 2021-22 NSW Budget, and brings the total joint commitment to $500M.
The preferred route will involve a bypass of North Richmond connecting to a new two-lane bridge north of the existing bridge. A new roadway will bypass Richmond to the south, connecting from Old Kurrajong Road to the Driftway.
The community has now been invited to give feedback on the proposed route, supporting road alignments, community impacts, and potential revitalisation of the Richmond and North Richmond town centres.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Commonwealth’s $400M commitment to the project would help improve road safety and reduce travel times in the area, and support the future growth of Western Sydney.
“This major investment demonstrates our commitment to the Western Sydney economy, its residents, workers and businesses by busting congestion, improving safety and creating jobs,” the Prime Minister said.
“This critical infrastructure will alleviate the long-term bottleneck between Richmond and North Richmond created from the existing Richmond Bridge operating at capacity during peak hour, helping make the commute to and from work significantly easier.
Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian said the Commonwealth and NSW governments have a strong record of working together to deliver crucial road infrastructure right across the state, like this project at Richmond.
“The NSW Government is continuing to invest in major road infrastructure projects because we know improving our road network makes a real difference to people’s lives, while also providing much needed local jobs,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The new bridge is proposed to be built 500 metres downstream from the current Richmond Bridge, which currently funnels more than 31,000 vehicles each day directly through the already busy Richmond and North Richmond town centres.”
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said this was one of the many congestion busting projects being delivered by the Morrison Government as part of its $110B 10-year infrastructure pipeline to help commuters get home sooner and safer.
An online information session will also be held on Monday 28 June from 4pm to 5pm on the NSW Roads Facebook page at facebook.com/NSWRoads.
Community consultation closes on Monday 5 July, with all feedback to be considered by Transport for NSW. For more information, visit www.nswroads.work/richmond-bridge
