Cable-stay pedestrian bridge transforms community connection in the heart of Port Macquarie

Completed for Port Macquarie–Hastings Council back in 2015, this cable-stay bridge on the mid-north coast of NSW remains one of the most influential bridges we’ve ever delivered.

You see, it wasn’t just a vital new piece of community infrastructure. It was also the catalyst for the creation of Fleetwood’s proprietary DesignExecute2™ delivery model – and it continues to shape every bridge and boardwalk project we deliver today.

Connecting communities, protecting habitats.

Kooloonbung Creek Nature Reserve is a much-loved pocket of the Port Macquarie community. But with the creek running through the very centre of town, spanning it in a way that provided safe and easy access for pedestrians and cyclists – whilst preserving the sensitive local ecology – was an essential part of the Council’s plans to activate its iconic foreshore. It was no small challenge. To meet it, they hand-selected Fleetwood to collaborate on the initial design of the new bridge, before leading the all-important fabrication and installation stages.

Carefully designed, expertly delivered.

After exploring several options with Port Macquarie–Hastings Council’s design and engineering partners, a modified version of our Stirling™ cable-stay bridge system was developed. The design featured a mild steel substructure, fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) decking, stainless steel fittings, pressure-tested sealed enclosures and a marine-grade paint system to withstand the harsh coastal conditions. Once approved, the bridge was then delivered in a combination of carefully planned construction phases, on-site and off-site, to minimise disruptions to the bustling local community.

Today, the results speak for themselves. Nearly seven years on, the bridge remains one of the most heavily-used pieces of public infrastructure anywhere in Port Macquarie, with tens of thousands of residents and holidaymakers using it to safely navigate and enjoy the Kooloonbung Creek Nature Reserve each year.

You can read the full project profile here. 

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