Day one of construction on the “Halo of Colour” sculpture.
The completion of a giant “halo of colour” sculpture in the centre of the Condobolin Road roundabout is among the key finishing touches now under way for the Parkes Bypass project.
More than 1000 heavy vehicles a day have been taken out of the Parkes town centre since the new 10.5-kilometre bypass alignment opened to Newell Highway traffic in April, and now crews are in the final stages of competing a number of activities linked to the bypass.
The first is the installation of a six-metre high and 18-metre diameter piece of public art standing on the 98-metre Condobolin Road roundabout, featuring 24 columns and a number of brightly-coloured panels that have been craned into place since work started this week.
Vibrant artwork on signage being erected at the northern and southern ends of the bypass will welcome motorists, acknowledging that the Bypass is on Wiradjuri land, while a second piece of Aboriginal artwork features images of native fauna is in the final stages of being installed high across the highway on the Victoria Street bridge.
Stephen Lawrence, MLC, said “The halo sculpture in the centre of the Condobolin Road roundabout has been created to reflect Parkes’ brand identity with an outer space theme reflecting Parkes’ iconic Dish, while the pair of Aboriginal artworks created by local Indigenous artists Scott ‘Sauce’ Towney and Kyah and Katlyn Turnbull represent the land, their elders, local fauna and also Parkes as a meeting place in NSW’s Central West.
“We expect the final touches to the halo artwork to be completed by the end of the month, with the entry signage and the Victoria Street Bridge artwork installation to be in place in July.” More information on the Parkes Bypass Project can be found at www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/parkes-bypass