A TIMBER bridge located in the central part of the Warrumbungle shire is set to receive a million dollar upgrade to bring it up to 21st century safety standards.

The Black Gully Bridge, which has been on Leaders Road in Binnaway for the last 70 years, will be replaced with a concrete bridge crossing following a cash injection from the state government.

Last week, the state government announced a list of bridges which would receive funding through Round 2 of its Fixing Country Bridges program.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said $49.25 million has been awarded to replace 34 timber bridges with concrete bridges across 21 Local Government Areas (LGA) in NSW.

“Our government is getting on with the job of building infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather events and protect our supply chain,” Mr Farraway said.

“With each bridge replaced, we’re opening up more efficient routes for heavy vehicles from freight to the local school bus and RFS tankers.

“Improving access for freight companies helps them to reduce their operational costs, which will ultimately reduce costs for NSW families when buying the goods at the local supermarket.”

The only Western Plains LGA to receive a contribution in the announcement was Warrumbungle Shire Council, which received $1,026,250 for the upgrade of Black Gully Bridge.

Warrumbungle Shire Council will co-contribute around $30,000 of its own funds towards the project, which has been estimated to cost roughly $1,056,000.

ABOVE: The Black Gully Bridge is an essential pathway for locals in the Binnaway area according to council. Image courtesy of Warrumbungle Shire Council.

The new bridge, which will be 12 metres long and eight metres wide, will be constructed to current design standards enabling it to carry loads from heavy load platform trucks and wide farming machinery.

Warrumbungle Shire Mayor Ambrose Doolan said council was working through replacing the last few wooden bridges still standing in their LGA and was grateful the state government was providing the majority of the funds to upgrade Black Gully Bridge.

"(The bridge) is a vital link in that part of the world for the locals who live there, it's nice that we will be able to update it so it can continue to service our communities well into the future," Cr Doolan said.

"We've had a few (new) bridges put up over the last couple of years. It guarantees people can travel through our shire safely when it’s wet."

While he said there had been no recent safety concerns or accidents in relation to the bridge, Cr Doolan said council believed it was better to be safe than sorry.

"We just wanted to get ahead of it, 70 years is not a bad run for a bridge but all things must come to an end and it is good to bring it into the modern day," he said.

Cr Doolan said work on the upgrade will commence after council receives a signed funding agreement from the state government, which he anticipated would arrive within the next few weeks.

"We then have 36 months to do it once we sign the deal. Once it's gone through we will then put it out for tender," he said.

"We're confident we can get the work done in time. We're having a similar upgrade done to the Warkton Bridge and the contractors for that told us they can get it done in around six months."