Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian said: “The new bridge is proposed to be built 500 metres downstream from the current Richmond Bridge, which currently funnels more than 31,000 vehicles each day directly through the already busy Richmond and North Richmond town centres.”
The existing bridge between Richmond and North Richmond carries a single lane in each direction.
The governments of NSW and Australia are funding the scheme and have committed a combined total of about US$385 million.
The newly identified preferred option includes bypasses of Richmond and North Richmond town centres as well as the new two-lane bridge over the Hawkesbury River and six intersection improvements.
Community feedback is now being sought with a deadline of early July.