Community & Business
3 October, 2024
Two new bridges on the way
CONSTRUCTION on two new bridges can get underway, with Tablelands Regional Council approving two contracts worth a total of $1.43 million to build the Webster Road bridge and the Kaban Road Station Creek bridge.
The Webster Road bridge, which is east- southeast of Wondecla, off Longlands Gap Road, is a decaying timber structure that currently has a load limit of eight tonne GVM and a speed limit of 5km/h.
The bridge services 10 acreage properties and, as their only access, residents had previously raised concerns about the present condition of the structure which was prohibiting “effective transport of goods and services to the local residents including waste and sewage management”.
The new bridge, to be constructed by Northern Civil Earthworks for $1.17 million, will be a single lane 15m-long bridge which has required a realignment of the road to reduce the steepness and curvature to allow larger vehicle access.
The concrete structure will have an increased design life, raising its load limit to a standard T44 load rating.
The existing timber bridge will be demolished when the new one is completed.
The council will contribute $701,414 to the project and is awaiting final funding approval for a $565,086 grant from the Department of Infrastructure’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program.
The Kaban Road Station Creek bridge is also a decaying timber structure that will be replaced after a 2023 engineering report confirmed it was deteriorating, forcing the load limit to be reduced from 30 tonnes to 10 tonnes.
The bridge, which is located around 2.8km from Tumoulin Road and services 28 acreages, is used by agricultural heavy vehicles, semi-trailers, cattle and other heavy transport supply vehicles.
“The downrated condition of the asset requires heavy vehicles to use the alternative or detour route via northern Kaban Road and/or the Old Kaban Road for business operations,” a report to council stated.
The new timber bridge will be built by Lift Tek Pty Ltd for $262,157 and will have a T44 load rating.
The current total budget allocated to the project was $226,000, but this was increased to $374,688 at last week’s meeting.
