North Orange bypass to close for a week

The section between Icely road and Bathurst Road will close for about a week from Friday to allow a specialised seal to set and cure.

Orange City Council’s Infrastructure Committee Chair Glenn Taylor said traffic would be diverted through Summer Street during the closure except Anzac Day, when heavy vehicles would be diverted through William Street.

“We can’t avoid closing the road but we can minimise any disruption to Orange’s Anzac Day services,” Cr Taylor said.

“Summer Street used to be filled with the sights, sounds and smells of heavy vehicles passing through every few minutes and we will have to put up with that again for a short time.”

Currently contractors are ripping up 300mm of road base along the two kilometre stretch, adding concrete hardeners, before stabilisation of the pavement and before the seal is added.

The primer seal needs time to set, without being disturbed by traffic, before the final surface is added.

“There will be an inconvenience for people but we said we would get the job done of fixing that road and that’s what we’re doing,” Cr Taylor said.

“Once this section is complete, we’ll be adding a deep layer of hot mix on the road between Astill Drive and Ophir Road.

“This will leave only one section, between Hill Street and Clergate Road, to be completed.

“As road building season draws to an end, crews are working flat out across the city.

“We’ve got major work happening in Burrendong Way, Clergate Road, the bypass and Ophir Road as well as a realignment of the intersection between Kenna Street and Wentworth Avenue, patching on Pinnacle Road and Canobolas Road, roundabout construction at Woodward and Moulder Street and road upgrades in East Orange are about to start.

“We’re getting on with the job of fixing Orange roads.”