While Wingham's Cedar Party Creek Bridge is already operational for all traffic, the bridge will be officially opened on Monday, 8 December 2025.
Federal Government Senator, Deborah O'Neill and the NSW Minister for the North Coast The Hon.Janelle Saffin MP will join Council's Mayor, Cr Claire Pontin to officially open the new bridge. Community representatives and those directly impacted by the construction will also be on hand for the opening.
While the official opening is a significant milestone, Council recognises the considerable disruptions during construction and the ongoing impact of the damage to the Bight Bridge from the May 2025 flood. In order to minimise further impacts, the new bridge will remain open during the ceremony to keep traffic flowing.
The traditional ribbon cutting will take place on the southwestern end of the bridge with temporary closure of the eastern section of Combined Street near the intersection for the event. This will be followed by a walk over the pedestrian section of the bridge.
The $40.3 million project was supported by a $29.7 million grant from the NSW Government's Fixing Country Bridges Program, a $5 million grant from the Australian Government Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program, as well as $5.6 million from MidCoast Council.
The new bridge has increased in height as far as possible without impacting the railway crossing, making the height of the new bridge around the 100-year or one per cent Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) flood event. It also provides level transition to the intersection with Wynter and Combined Streets, which was replaced with a roundabout to allow for better traffic flow.
