Hastings villages rejoice $52 million bridge upgrade commitment

The program will better connect regional communities and increase their resilience to natural disasters.

Member for Oxley Melinda Pavey said replacing old timber bridges means improved community connections to schools, towns and jobs; allows easier movement of freight, and delivers better outcomes for road safety.

"On top of easing the financial burden on councils, this program will create thousands of local jobs throughout regional communities at a time when they're needed most," Ms Pavey said.

"I'm glad that in the Oxley electorate alone, we're going to see 113 bridges replaced under this new round of funding because I know what a difference they'll make to entire communities."

The four councils in the Oxley electorate nominated bridges in most need of replacement, and all welcomed the funding announcement.

The new concrete bridges will allow heavy truck loads, and improve access and safety for farmers, industry and locals.

Importantly, they will be more resistant to damage from fire and floods.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said round one of the program will see more than 400 ageing bridges replaced by safer, modern bridges that will better withstand events such as floods and bushfires, and ease the burden of maintenance for local councils and ratepayers.

"Regional councils maintain more than 1800 timber bridges across the state, and we're delivering on our promise to help them replace ageing bridges."

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the NSW Government had accelerated funding for the program with more than $290 million shared across 54 councils to replace 424 bridges in round one.

"That's hundreds of fast-tracked projects that will start across the state in the next 12 months, helping councils to create and support jobs, drive productivity and keep our regional communities connected," Mr Toole said.

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