Council crosses another bridge of the list

Camp Creek Bridge across Running Creek is the latest Scenic Rim timber bridge to be replaced. Mayor Greg Christensen said replacement of the bridge on Camp Creek Rd was one of four such projects funded in the 2016-17 Budget.

"The momentum of our bridges program will continue over next two years with the renewal of a further eight bridges co-funded with the Federal Government under the national Bridges Renewal Programme," he said.

Cr Christensen said the bridge replacement program would occur in parallel to post-disaster reconstruction efforts being delivered under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).

"We will be devoting a significant amount of energy to both disaster restoration and our recurrent capital program of asset maintenance and improvement," he said.

"It's important to note that if we just focused on repairing disaster damage as our only priority at the end of that process we would have an 18-month backlog of maintenance on our asset base.

"This is why the NDRRA program is important to communities such as Scenic Rim, it provides a funding framework which allows us to fix the disaster damage while still delivering the ongoing works required in our region."

Cr Christensen said Council's continued investment in maintaining and renewing road and bridge infrastructure was vital in driving the region's economy.

"Our transport corridors are crucial to supporting the growth of our economy. The limitations imposed by timber bridges, many of which were constructed more than half a century ago, are effectively roadblocks to economic growth," he said.

"As well as being safer, contemporary structures of concrete or steel are more resilient and require less ongoing maintenance, delivering cost savings to ratepayers in the longer term."

Division 3 representative Cr Virginia West said the replacement of Camp Creek Bridge was a welcome result for landholders in the area.

"An important outcome of new bridges is that they are free of load limits which can restrict the movement of heavy vehicles," she said.

"This is a key consideration given the significant movement of trucks and farm equipment in our rural areas."