Thornton Rail Bridge.
Development in Thornton North will come to a standstill within 12 weeks as developers wait for stage two of the Thornton Rail Bridge to be built.
But there is no definite start date for work on the second two-lane western bridge.
The twin two-lane bridges over the railway line were promised to be completed within three years under the former Labor government.
But only the eastern bridge has been built – with traffic allowed onto one lane of the bridge for the first time on Monday and work to continue on this part of the project until October.
Waterford County developer Christopher Bean was forced to cancel negotiations to buy more land to subdivide in Thornton North on Tuesday because of the state government’s cap on the number of lots that can be developed before the bridge project is completed.
“We need that bridge now under the cap in the agreement,” Mr Bean told the Mercury on Thursday.
“Without it, the whole of Thornton North will come to a standstill.”
A Department of Planning spokesman claimed the 894-lot cap was lifted last week – but neither Waterford Country nor Maitland City Council have been told.
It is not known if the cap has been reinstated at a higher level or completely abolished.
Council developed design plans in for the bridge in 2008; the plans showed a four-lane bridge was needed to cater for the 5000-lot subdivision in the city’s newest suburb.
While Maitland City Council plans to build a four-lane road on both ends of the bridge it has no control over the timeframe in which the state government starts the second western bridge.
An October 2010 letter to householders from the Roads and Traffic Authority, now Roads and Maritime Services, said two-way traffic would use the eastern bridge while the old bridge was demolished to allow the western bridge to be built.
It now appears, however, that the old bridge will be retained for pedestrians and cyclists until the new two-lane western bridge is built sometime in the future.
An RMS spokeswoman told the Mercury on Thursday the second bridge would be provided “when needed”.
But Maitland MP Robyn Parker, who has been vocal in her support of progress on the bridges, said back in 2009 that the infrastructure was needed then and should not be held up.
A spokesperson for Ms Parker said on Thursday that she had made representations to the government last year as to the progress of the second bridge but was still awaiting a response.
