August 18, 2022
South Burnett Regional Council can’t afford to improve the Sandy Creek crossing in Brown Street at this time, Mayor Brett Otto said on Thursday.
Mayor Otto was responding to a suggestion from local MP Deb Frecklington that the upgrade of the nearby Tipperary Flat overnight camping area also include safety improvements at the nearby Sandy Creek crossing, the site of a fatal drowning when a vehicle was washed away in flash flooding on July 22.
Mayor Otto said “flood warning” signs were already erected on both road approaches to Sandy Creek.
“The crossing is at a low level that becomes submerged after moderate rainfall and would require a substantial investment from Council in order to increase the road level,” the Mayor said.
“This investment is estimated to be in the order of $400,000, taking into account the volume of water, the integrity of raising the road approaches and would also need to be considered annually as part of Council’s capital works program across the region.
“At this point in time, Brown Street, the playground and sealed car park are all beyond the scope for consideration of works in Tipperary Flats.”
Mayor Otto said councillors and Council staff had been engaging with the community over the past month.
“There is a large volume of interest around the area being free draining (ie. removing the stagnant water), the overnight stopover for caravans, the accessibility into the park and the legacy park furniture inside the budget of the project,” he said.
“Council has a number of similar floodways in urban settings across the region, such as Mill Flat Road in Nanango and First Avenue and Pound Street in Kingaroy.
“The community needs to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings, given the pending storm seasons ahead.
“Flash flooding will be an ongoing risk for anyone who travels on the roads over the coming months and in the interests of communication for residents and travellers, review Council’s Disaster Dashboard for issues across the South Burnett.”
Mrs Frecklington had asked the SBRC to consider installing a guard rail on the northern side of the Brown Street Sandy Creek crossing, street lighting and raising the road with larger culverts to replace the current small drainage pipe.
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It’s sad that council can allocate millions to renovate the CBD yet can’t find money for road improvements that would likely save lives. I really don’t like how this council prioritizes the spending of ratepayers’ money.