The Federal Government is continuing to upgrade bridges on regional roads in Grey with new investments in three projects totalling $7.8m under the Bridges Renewal Program.
The projects will replace and widen bridges, replace culverts, strengthen existing structures and upgrade floodways to bridges.
Projects in Grey include:
- $2,928,896 Pine Creek Bridge upgrade, Appila-Laura Road, Laura
Upgrading and widening of Pines Creek Bridge, Appila-Laura Road
$1,600,000 Horrocks Highway Culvert Replacement, Yacka
Replacement of a 2 lane concrete culvert with a 2 lane concrete culvert on the Horrocks Highway 1.1km south of Yacka. The project will include widening and installation of safety barriers.
- $3,280,000 Horrocks Highway Wild Dog Creek Culvert Replacement
Replacement of an existing culvert with a new culvert on the Horrocks Highway, with increased weight limit of 166t and road widening and new traffic barriers.
Member for Grey Rowan Ramsey said the Bridges Renewal Program was well established and had rebuilt many bridges in Grey. “The funding is guaranteed and not contingent on the election result,” he said.
“Many of our bridges were built at the beginning of last century when a maximum vehicle load was less than 20 tonnes, now a single vehicle may be in excess of 100 tonne and we need to re-invest to meet the challenge,” Mr Ramsey said. “However, many of these bridges are council property and can come with a very high price tag simply beyond council means.”
“The Pine Creek Bridge is a classic example, more than 70 years old and with a structural problem identified a few years back, now with a 30-tonne load-limit. For farmers in the Appila/Booleroo/ Orroroo areas it is their preferred route to Gladstone at harvest time and currently even a truck as small as a single semi is required to take a significant detour along an unsealed road.”
“Northern Areas Council Mayor Ben Browne was very pleased with the announcement and thanked Rowan Ramsey for his assistance in securing the grant.”
“The bridge is on a significant freight route and desperately needs an upgrade to accommodate modern commodity transport,” he said.
“How to finance the required works at Pine Creek has been an ongoing problem for council for quite some time and would have probably remained beyond us without this support.”
Mr Ramsey said all three projects were on farmland to the east of the Flinders, “Its not really surprising, there are a lot of bridges in that part of the world. All of these projects will create local jobs in Grey and improve safety for freight drivers and all motorists in our community,” he said.
In the 2022-23 Budget the Coalition Government allocated an additional $40 million to the Bridges Renewal Program over the next four years, taking the total funding commitment to nearly $900 million.
Since the Bridges Renewal Program commenced in 2015 – 16 it has supported 730 projects, of which 495 projects have been completed.
Media contact: Leonie Lloyd-Smith 08 8633 1744 May 2 2022
