Committee 4 Wagga releases Gobba Bridge survey for residents
Written by Monty Jacka - article originally published by The Daily Advertiser here.
23 December 2022
Commitee 4 Wagga chair Adam Drummond is calling on residents to voice their own suggestions for how to fix Gobbagombalin Bridge congestion during the wait for the potential duplication. Picture by Monty Jacka
Uncertainty over current plans to alleviate congestion along the notorious Gobbagombalin Bridge has driven a local advocacy group to accelerate its own search for solutions.
Committee 4 Wagga is calling on residents to have their say on what short-term solutions could be implemented at the Gobba Bridge while the region waits for the crossing to be duplicated.
The group is hoping to use findings from its survey to convince politicians and the government to modify the current plans to install traffic lights on either end of the bridge.
C4W chair Adam Drummond said the traffic light plan was "not the best move", especially considering all the recent growth in the northern suburbs.
"The issue we think with putting traffic lights in is it will most likely congest other roads and streets that are leading into Moorong and Travers streets," Mr Drummond said.
"We don't think that's going to solve anything and we think it's probably a short-sighted error of judgement from Transport for NSW."
Mr Drummond personally believed the Travers Street roundabout should be swapped for a grade separation but said he was keen to hear from other motorists.
"It's up to the community to put their voice forward for government to make decisions," he said.
Transport for NSW said the traffic lights, announced after extensive community consultation and traffic modelling, will "improve road safety and reduce congestion" along the bridge.
Vehicles banked up on the Olympic Highway heading toward the Gobba Bridge during the floods in Wagga earlier this year. Picture by Les Smith
Mr Drummond is worried the duplication of the bridge could be shunted if the state government goes ahead with its traffic light plan.
"The other thing we're really worried about is if they put in traffic lights does that mean we won't get the duplication of the Wagga bridge in five to ten years time when we need it," he said.
The Wagga Transport Plan, released in early August, includes a commitment to investigate the cost, feasibility and necessity of duplicating the Gobba Bridge.
"The expanded scope of investigations will look at possible solutions to network issues, with the duplication of the Gobbagombalin Bridge being part of this consideration," a Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
"Transport for NSW, in collaboration with Wagga City Council, will carry out these investigations within the next five years to determine the feasibility of the potential solutions and when they would need to be delivered."
As the key connection between Wagga and its rapidly growing northern suburbs, the Gobba Bridge has been plagued with congestion issues for years.
Floodwaters closing roads in North Wagga this year made congestion on the bridge even worse, which Mr Drummond said was further evidence of the importance of duplication.
"It's crazy to think you can only get to the other side of the river via North Wagga or by a two-lane bridge," he said.
"One of the things that makes people move from metropolitan and coastal areas to Wagga and other regional locations is we've got fantastic liveability - part of liveability is traffic flow."