Two Fraser Coast bridges to be replaced

Access for farmers and families across the Fraser Coast hinterland will be improved with two bridge projects being undertaken by the Fraser Coast Regional Council.

“The contract to replace a wooden bridge on Emery's Bridge Road, Gundiah, and a bridge over an unnamed creek on North Aramara Road has been awarded to specialist company Davbridge Properties Pty Ltd,” Cr Denis Chapman said.

The $3.6million project is partially funded by a $2.75 million grant from the State Government under the Works for Queensland Program.

“The project includes replacing two timber bridges with steel reinforced concrete bridges,” he said.

“We anticipate onsite work on the North Aramara Road bridge to start in March and work on the Emery Bridge Road project to start in April and both take 19 weeks to complete, weather permitting.

“Since the contract was awarded in November last year the company has been building the precast steel-reinforced concrete sections which will be trucked to the worksites for installation.”

The project also includes building side tracks so the roads can be kept open while the work is underway.

The Emerys Bridge Road project comes six years after the Fraser Coast Regional Council oversaw projects to replace the timber bridge over Gutchie Creek and install floodways on Netherby Road leading to the bridge and on neighbouring Emerys Bridge Road valued at $3.7m.

In those projects the wooden bridge across the Gutchie Creek was replaced with a single-span two-lane concrete bridge and footpath in a $2.2 million project equally funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development Bridges Renewal Programme and Council.

The floodway projects were funded under the $20 million Betterment Fund, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments which was established in response to Tropical Cyclone Marcia in 2015.

“These projects help Council to build stronger, more resilient communities and keep our smaller communities connected to critical services,” Cr Chapman said.