Violet Street Bridge replacement moves forward

Media release - 2 September 2025

Preparations are underway for the construction of the new Violet Street Bridge over Narrabri Creek.

The project will see the removal of the existing bridge and replaced with a concrete and steel reinforced structure as well as upgraded road approaches.

The new bridge will feature unrestricted load capacity, dual traffic lanes, shared pathways along both sides and new overhead street lighting.

The $7 million project has been made possible with the contribution of $5 million through the Infrastructure Betterment Program jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Tender documentation was currently being prepared, with the project’s tender expected to be advertised this month. A report is proposed to be presented at the October Ordinary Council Meeting for Councillors’ consideration to award the contract.

Upon successful award of the contract and subject to the contractor’s program, site works will commence from mid to late November, beginning with demolition of the existing bridge.

Construction of the new bridge is anticipated to be completed by the end of September 2026, depending on weather and other factors that may affect the timeline. A detour will be in place throughout the duration of the works.

Narrabri Shire Council Mayor Darrell Tiemens said the resulting Violet Street Bridge will be a safer, wider bridge that will cater for all vehicles as well as pedestrians and cyclists.

“While the current Violet Street Bridge is load limited, its replacement will be built to current bridge standards allowing unrestricted heavy vehicle access.

“Further, each side of the bridge will feature a shared pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, which will connect to our existing shared pathway network.”

The new structure will also decrease the time required to remove barriers during flood events. This means the bridge will not need to close as early as per previous flood events – reducing disruption for residents and road users.

Read the full media release.