Nine bridges with structural damage in the Upper Lachlan Shire are in need of urgent repair.
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Out of 17 bridges, specialist engineers Pitt & Sherry identified nine repairs that require immediate maintenance, 16 repairs required in the next 12 months, and 12 repairs within the next two years.
In April, the unnamed bridge at Harley Road in Crookwell was deemed to be a safety risk and closed as a precaution. It is the most costly of the repairs, costing the council $200,000. The project is expected to be done by September, according to Upper Lachlan Shire Council's works schedule.
The bridge over Kangaroo Creek on Bigga Road requires immediate structural repair due to a split in the bridge's support beams. Damage to other bridges includes structural splitting, rotting planks, corrosion, surface defects, and more.
Further bridges needing urgent repairs include: the span over Peelwood Creek on Cooksvale Road; Crookwell River on Julong Road; Diamond Creek on the Kangaloolah Road; the Peelwood Creek span, as well as one over an unnamed river, both on Peelwood Road; the Coates Creek span on Reids Flat Road; and that at Cliffords Creek on Wilcox Road.
The total cost to complete all the recommendations over five years is $503,100 (immediate repairs will cost $36,750). Upper Lachlan Shire councillors voted unanimously in favour of a recommendation by the manager of assets and design, Dr Atheer Al-Saoudi, to undertake the repairs.
The Diamond Creek Bridge on Kangaloolah Road and the Crookwell River Bridge on Julong Road will not be maintained until upgrades are completed as part of the 2019/20 operational plan. The bridge over Peelwood Creek on Peelwood Road was not mentioned in a report.
In May, new load limits were put in place for Boorowa Road (MR248) over Wheeo Creek, Boorowa Road (MR248) over Old Man Gunyah Creek, and Reids Flat Road over the Lachlan River.
Further bridges in the report were bridges on the Curraburgla Creek on the Laggan to Taralga Road (MR248), Sandy Creek on Arthursleigh Road, Monkey Creek on Blue Hills Road, Bridgey Creek on Jeffreys Road, and a second bridge over the Crookwell River on the Julong Road.
Paying for the upgrades is assisted by external grant funding and borrowings, acting general manager Andrew Croke said.