The location of a third bridge south of the LH Ford has been narrowed down to two possible locations. In August, Dubbo Regional Council received $100,000 from the NSW government to look into a southern bridge crossing. It has been narrowed down to the two best options. The bridge is likely to be constructed from either Minore Road to Sandy Beach Road/Bligh Street or from Minore Road to South Street/Bligh Street. Early cost estimates indicate the bridge will cost between $33.9 million and $35.7 million, depending on which option is chosen. In December, mayor Ben Shields said his preferred crossing was Minore Road to Sandy Beach/Bligh Street due to the congestion at the Whylandra Street roundabout. ALSO MAKING NEWS: He said the bridge was the "best way forward" to ease traffic in west Dubbo. According to the council report, there are five main aims of the bridge. One of the goals is to "reduce average travel times through the Dubbo road network by an average of 4.3 seconds per trip (a total of 89,700 hours per year) by 2030 to maintain the city's '10 minute character'". Council also hopes it will reduce the number of traffic incidents at the Whylandra Street/Victoria Street intersection, increase connectivity between west Dubbo and the central business district, increase the percentage of travellers choosing active transport and facilitate the development of more than 6000 properties in the west Dubbo urban release area. Once a route is chosen, council hopes the NSW and federal governments will help fund the project. The report on the south Dubbo new bridge was initially on the agenda at the June ordinary council meeting, however it was deferred until July. If approved by the councillors on Monday, July 13 the two proposed bridge options will undergo a community consultation period. A further report based on the feedback will then be prepared for the councillors.