General News
2 June, 2024
Sudden closure: Bridge access denied
SUDDEN closure of a bridge on Tuesday morning has left residents with an unplanned 6.5km detour. They had no warning that Chamberlains Road bridge off the Calder Highway, between Inglewood and Bridgewater, would be cut by Loddon Shire Council...
SUDDEN closure of a bridge on Tuesday morning has left residents with an unplanned 6.5km detour.
They had no warning that Chamberlains Road bridge off the Calder Highway, between Inglewood and Bridgewater, would be cut by Loddon Shire Council.
Residents are also annoyed that emergency services had not been told of access changes.
“We’ve not been told. The bridge closure will add five minutes to our response times,” said Inglewood Fire Brigade captain Andrew Smith.
Cattle farmer Col Pickering said his business had been affected by load restrictions on the bridge since the 2022 floods.
“This closure is a headache for deliveries to our property, I’ve now got an extra 6.6km to travel at the start of the day taking my son into Bridgewater to catch the school bus and the same at the end of the day,” he said.
Mr Pickering said council last month installed guide posts to restrict the size of vehicles using the flood-damaged bridge.
“But I’ve still seen the garbage truck and the shire grader travel over the bridge,” he said.
“Then today (Tuesday) council was there installing barriers and closing the bridge. We were not even warned. There was no consultation.”
Mr Pickering’s neighbours voiced frustration that the bridge had gone unrepaired.
“Anything that has been done has only been a Band-Aid,” one said at an impromptu protest.
Residents also pointed to the poorly maintained gully that takes storm water from Inglewood, saying it had not been maintained.
Council’s manager Assets and Infrastructure David Southcombe blamed closure on a rejected State Government flood recovery funding application.
“This bridge has been regularly inspected since sustaining damage in the October 2022 flood event,”
“The most recent inspection identified additional damage and displacement to the cells at the base of the bridge.
“As a result, in the interests of public safety, the bridge was closed immediately. We appreciate this may cause inconvenience to landowners in the area.
“In the interim, gravel road access is provided to all landowners in the area via Weeah Street.
“Council submitted the bridge to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to fund the remediation of the bridge as part of the October 2022 flood recovery effort however, this claim was rejected. “
A proposal to fund the bridge remediation would be part of council’s annual infrastructure program presented at the June council meeting, he said.
Mr Southcombe did not reply to questions on why residents were not warned of Tuesday’s sudden closure.