A suspension bridge has been chosen as the preferred design to span the Hunter River between Combo Lane at Singleton and Col Fisher Park at Hunterview, in a $6.1 million project believed to be the waterway’s only exclusively pedestrian and cycling crossing in the region.
The project is co-funded by the State Government, with a $5,855,016 grant under the Get NSW Active program, and the remainder funded by Singleton Council. The new bridge will improve safety and access, providing an easy connection for people walking or cycling from the Singleton Heights and Hunterview areas to the Singleton town centre, without the need to cross busy main roads.
Council called for design and construct tenders for the project late last year, choosing a design that includes a 140-metre suspension bridge crossing the river, as well as a 30-metre steel bridge over a creek in Col Fisher Park, joined by a concrete shared pathway. The project brief includes more than a kilometre of footpath, including a new footpath on Combo Lane on the Singleton side, and connections between the bridge and the existing shared pathway on Wilkinson Boulevard on the Hunterview side. A quietway will also be constructed on Combo Lane, along with CCTV cameras on the bridge approach.
Transport Minister John Graham said the bridge was exactly the sort of project the government had in mind when it approved the latest round of funding for the program.
“The Get NSW Active program provides councils with funding for projects that make it easier, safer and more convenient for people of all ages and abilities to choose walking and riding as a preferred mode of transport,” he said.
Singleton Council’s Acting General Manager, Melinda Curtis, said the bridge was highlighted as the top priority in the Singleton Walking and Cycling Plan, adopted in 2025.
“This is a significant project to encourage active transport by addressing the gap in our pedestrian and cycling network and removing the risks associated with heavily trafficked roads, providing safer options for people to walk or cycle into town,” she said.
“It comes at a time when residential growth is being driven by new land release areas in the Singleton Heights and Hunterview areas, and we expect the bridge will be well used by children crossing the river to walk or cycle to school, or residents coming into the town centre who’ll have a safer option to leave the car at home for short trips.”
The project was originally slated for completion in 2026, but due to budget delays, construction is now expected to begin later this year, with completion anticipated by mid-2027.
