Telarah businesses are set to feel the pinch and motorists inconvenienced as roadworks in the suburb continue and the local railway bridge is shut down until May next year.
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The suburb remains a work in progress as Maitland City Council and Transport for NSW carry out major work in the once-sleepy hamlet.
Millions of dollars are being spent on road upgrades, which have been ongoing for the past 12 months, to cope with the volume of traffic expected to increase through the area when 1500 home lots in nearby Farley are released.
A total of $5.7million is being spent on a new railway bridge in Telarah Street to replace the existing 100-year-old structure that links the suburb to the New England Highway.
The bridge will be closed from this month.
Work is being undertaken by John Holland Rail on behalf of Transport for NSW.
The project will provide a modern concrete bridge including footpaths and a cycleway.
The new road surface will be an asphalt pavement.
The existing steel and timber bridge is due for replacement and the project is expected to reduce maintenance costs and ensure the structure is safe and allows reliable access for the community.
The existing bridge will be demolished during a rail shutdown that has already been planned.
The rail line will remain operational throughout most of the construction phase, with work sequenced in accordance with scheduled rail possession periods.
John Holland Rail is consulting with residents, Maitland City Council, emergency services and local bus companies on this project and will provide regular updates to the community during construction to keep them informed of progress.
No objections have been received to date.
A Maitland City Council traffic survey carried out in 2012 revealed there were about 6600 vehicle movements over the bridge each day.
Business owners
While the work has been and will continue to be a massive inconvenience for Telarah residents and business operators, they believe both road and bridge projects are short-term pain for long-term gain.
Business operators the Mercury spoke to said they would definitely lose business, but felt they would reap rewards once the work was completed.
Bruce Toghill, of Telarah Newsagency and Post Office, said his business would be affected, but it was a matter of how much.
“Council’s roadworks are hurting us too, but it’s all for the better,” Mr Toghill said.
“And for those residents on the Maitland side of the bridge, it won’t be a quick trip to the shop anymore.
“They will have to get onto the highway and come back into Telarah through South Street,” he said.
“Hopefully this is all for the better and we all should benefit in the long term.”
Wayne Reid of Reid’s Butchery agreed his trade would be affected, but said council and Transport for NSW were doing their best to keep disruptions to a minimum.
“We’re hoping the bridge works won’t take as long as they are advertising it to take,” he said.
“From what we have heard, they should complete the works well before May.
“These works definitely needed doing.”
