August 5, 2015
The South Burnett Regional Council will replace three of the region’s most decrepit timber bridges this year after it accepted a tender to build new ones that came in $500,000 below its original estimates.
At its meeting on Wednesday, Councillors voted to accept a $2.137 million tender from CPM Group Pty Ltd to build new bridges on Weens Road west of Crawford, Hansens Gully Bridge at Mondure and Campbells Road Bridge at Silverleaf.
The Council had originally estimated it could cost as much as $2.7 million to replace all three bridges – and possibly as much as $4 million.
It had set aside $2.2 million this year’s budget to tackle two of them – Weens Road and Hansens Gully.
But when the tender for the three bridges came in $500,000 below the Council’s low-end estimate, it was accepted.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said credit for the saving had to go to Council’s engineering staff, who had recommended putting the three bridges out in a single tender rather than individually.
Staff felt “the time was right” because there would be little additional money for bridge building until the next round of the Federal Government’s “Bridges To Recovery” program was announced.
The Mayor also paid tribute to fellow Cr Kathy Duff, who had been “relentless” in campaigning to have the Campbells Road bridge replaced.
He was seconded by Cr Barry Green, who said he admired the way Cr Duff had pushed to have every possible option explored in her efforts to see the Silverleaf bridge re-opened.
In late December 2013, Campbells Road Bridge had a 10-tonne load limit imposed on it; Hansens Gully Bridge a 35 tonne limit; and Weens Road Bridge was reduced from dual lanes to a single lane after a routine inspection by Council officers determined all three bridges were becoming unsafe.
Campbells Road Bridge was subsequently closed in January this year after another structural inspection found it had deteriorated to the point where it was unsafe to bear any loads at all.
The closure of Campbells Road Bridge meant bridge users had to take a 9km detour to take their farm machinery across Barambah Creek.
Local residents said at the time they would also have to use escorts to move heavy machinery safely along Silverleaf Road if they took the detour.
Mayor Kratzmann told fellow Councillors the Council’s aggressive bridge replacement program has put the region ahead of many others that have taken a less pro-active approach to the problem of ageing wooden bridges.
He said the Council would also be tackling some other aging bridges this year by replacing them with box culverts.
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