The Thomas James Bridge, originally built in the 1830, has had a $17.5 million revamp
Work on the Hawkesbury’s historic 1830’s era Thomas James Bridge on Settlers Road at Lower Macdonald is now complete, following a two-year journey to not only restore the historically significant bridge but also provide a resilient connection between Wisemans Ferry and the Macdonald Valley.
The $17.5 million project was jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), with Hawkesbury City Council overseeing the work, supported by Transport for NSW and the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
The bridge was damaged significantly during the floods in 2022, including the near total collapse of the eight-metre-tall sandstone retaining walls supporting the bridge’s abutments.
Built in the 1830s using convict labour, it is the oldest bridge still in use on the Australian mainland, adjoining the world heritage-listed Old Great North Road, which connects Sydney to the Hunter Valley.
The extensive restoration required a tailor-made engineering solution designed in close consultation with heritage experts, including the excavation of the site down to the bedrock to install new steel and concrete footings and drainage that will be resilient in the face of future flooding and rain events.
Its hand-cut sandstone block retaining wall had to be carefully disassembled with each block numbered, original position recorded and placed into storage until the wall could be reassembled. The timber bridge deck was also reinstated to maintain the historical significance and visual characteristics of the site.
Concurrently, work also took place to clear and stabilise a significant 250-metre-long rock slip between the bridge and the Wisemans Ferry crossing that partially buried Settlers Road. Hawkesbury City Council worked in partnership with Central Coast Council, as Settlers Road is the boundary between the two local government areas.
“This has been an extraordinary engineering achievement to restore and preserve for the future the oldest in-use road bridge on the Australian mainland, part of the World Heritage Listed Old Great North Road,” Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman says.
“Unlike road damage from previous floods in other parts of the Hawkesbury, this restoration was done with a view to continuing to provide access for residents to the fullest extent possible, thanks to federal and state joint disaster recovery funding.
“I commend the contractors for their willingness to work closely with the community, recognising what a vital transport link it is for this community, and I thank the community for their patience in the years of this work being done.”
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