{"id":345727,"date":"2024-03-19T18:37:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T08:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=345727"},"modified":"2024-07-19T14:19:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T04:19:14","slug":"planning-begins-for-new-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/03\/19\/planning-begins-for-new-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning Begins For New Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Heavy vehicles regularly travel across the single-lane bridge (Photo: Nanango Electorate Office)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 19, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

Planning has finally begun on a possible replacement for the dangerous, single-lane Tanduringie Creek Bridge.<\/p>\n

The bridge, on Kingaroy-Cooyar Road south of Maidenwell, is an important link between the New England Highway and Kingaroy and carries a heavy volume of traffic every day.<\/p>\n

It is also traversed by students attending the nearby Tanduringie State School.<\/p>\n

A near-miss between a semi-trailer and a school bus on the bridge in 2020 prompted calls for the bridge to be replaced urgently.<\/p>\n

At the time, replacement was identified as a key planning project in the Transport & Main Road Department\u2019s \u201cproject pipeline\u201d for 2020-21.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to an\u00a0industry briefing document<\/a><\/strong> (4.14Mb PDF) on the TMR website at the time, pre-qualified tenders would be invited during the second quarter of 2021 to develop a business case for the replacement.<\/p>\n

The estimated cost of this initial contract was $200,000.<\/p>\n

A TMR statement on Tuesday acknowledged that the ageing, single-lane bridge was unsuitable and required ongoing maintenance.<\/p>\n

“TMR will continue to engage with the adjacent property owners and other key stakeholders to gain feedback on a proposal to replace the timber bridge with a new concrete bridge,” the statement continued.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Tanduringie Creek Bridge currently has an excess mass restriction and is reduced to single-lane operation.<\/p>\n

“TMR has been looking at options for constructing a new, wider and elevated concrete bridge on a new alignment, to improve flood immunity, safety and traffic efficiency.<\/p>\n

“There is currently no funding for detailed design work or construction of a new bridge, however the planning phase investigations will identify a preferred option for the bridge and assist TMR to assess the project\u2019s priority status for future funding.<\/p>\n

TMR Regional Director for Southern Queensland Bill Lansbury said $496,000 had been allocated for the planning work for the Tanduringie Creek bridge replacement to “identify a suitable, value-for-money option for the future bridge replacement”.<\/p>\n

“TMR will continue to keep the community informed about the project as it progresses,\u201d Mr Lansbury said.<\/p>\n

Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n