News
29 October, 2025
Nattai River bridge project runs into problems
Wingecarribee Shire Council has run into major problems with the construction of a new bridge over the Nattai River in Feguson Crescent, Mittagong.
Wingecarribee Shire Council has run into major problems with the construction of a new bridge over the Nattai River in Feguson Crescent, Mittagong.
The problems are so bad the project may have to be abandoned and unspent grant money returned.
Council received $2.899 million in State Government funding for the bridge replacement in 2023 and earlier this year allocated an additional $1,050,000 from its own budget.
Staff reported on Wednesday night that the contractor engaged by council, InQuik Pty Ltd, had undertaken preliminary works and had encountered site conditions “substantially different” to those encountered during the design period and subsequent geotechnical testing two years ago.
More recent geotechnical investigations undertaken by the contractor have indicated the presence of additional groundwater and water seepage as well as traces of hazardous materials.
Both issues have the potential to add significantly to the overall cost of the project and council has been working with the contractor, the design team and the funding body, Transport for NSW (TfNSW), on a possible solution.
At this stage building an additional bridge span has been identified as the “best outcome” for the project and council has formally submitted a request to TfNSW for adjustments to the project’s scope, schedule and budget.
Staff have acknowledged that as a worst-case scenario – if TfNSW does not approve the change request – council may have to abandon the project, leaving it with $1,215,000 worth of bridge components to use elsewhere.
Alternatively, it could seek grant funding from another source to complete the project.
The project had been designed to “further enhance the resilience of the road network” by replacing an historic timber bridge nearing the end of its useable lifespan with a new concrete bridge.
The existing bridge was built in 1898.
Councillor Sara Moylan asked at Wednesday night’s meeting why so much money had already been spent on materials and was told there was a significant lead time on components and they had to be ordered as soon as the project was approved.
She also asked why the issues hadn’t been identified earlier and was told by council’s acting general manager Shelley Jones that it was impossible to anticipate everything and that the problems had been “completely unexpected”.
Cr Rachel Russell asked if it was time for council to start considering one lane bridges instead of two land bridges to avoid cost blowouts.
She said it could be a “policy consideration” as opposed to a firm stance.
However council’s Director Service and Project Delivery, Clinton McAlister, said such an approach would be taking a “very narrow focus”.
He said there was a need with projects such as this to address “immediate needs and safety requirements” but also to cater for future growth.
Council is not expecting to hear back from TfNSW in relation to its change request until later this month so the future of the project remains up in the air.
Staff say changes to groundwater levels at the site could be the result of recent weather conditions with rainfall levels for the months of May (134.2mm), July (200mm), August (169mm) and September to date (81mm) well above mean rainfall for the town.
Read More: Mittagong, Southern Highlands