Pier and piling work has begun on four of the six bridges in the Singleton Bypass project in Australia, marking a significant phase in construction.

The 8km Singleton Bypass, which is claimed to be the largest road infrastructure project in the region, aims to reroute the New England Highway away from the town centre of Singleton.

This will eliminate the need for vehicles to navigate through five sets of traffic lights and is expected to reduce traffic in the town centre by approximately 15,000 vehicles daily.

The bypass is designed to facilitate the movement of freight, enhance safety, alleviate congestion, and save time for the 26,000 motorists who travel this section of the highway each day.

Last week marked a major milestone with the installation of the first girder on the project's longest bridge, which spans 1.6km over the Doughboy Hollow floodplain.

Construction efforts are also progressing on bridges at the southern connection, the Hunter River crossing, and the New England Highway crossing at Gowrie.

Over the next three months, the project will see the installation of 207 piles and the construction of 161 pier columns.

In the following six months, a total of 435 girders will be put in place to complete the bridge structures. Concurrently, utility relocations and major earthworks are being carried out across the project site.

The completed bypass will feature 8km of new single-lane highway in each direction, a full interchange at Putty Road, and connections to the New England Highway at both the southern and northern ends of the bypass, as well as at Gowrie Gates.

Acciona Construction Australia, specialising in regenerative infrastructure, was awarded the design-and-construction contract in November 2023.

Funded jointly by the Australian and New South Wales (NSW) governments, the project has received $560m from the commonwealth and $150m from NSW.

The Singleton Bypass is anticipated to open to traffic by late 2026, depending on weather conditions.