Photo caption: Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, left, with Glen Innes Severn Council Mayor Rob Banham at Furracabad Bridge, where works are now underway on a new $1 million concrete bridge.
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
FOUR years after the decaying Furracabad Creek Bridge was closed to traffic by Glen Innes Severn Council, essentially cutting Furracabad Road in two, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has welcomed the start of work to replace the crumbling timber structure.
Mr Marshall and Glen Innes Severn Mayor Rob Banham inspected progress on the $1 million project, funded by the previous State Government, last week.
“After a long wait, it’s great to finally see the preliminary earth works for the new bridge get underway,” Mr Marshall said.
“The forced closure of Furracabad Creek Bridge by council in February 2019 had implications for local residents and school bus operators who have had to travel via longer alternate routes on unsealed roads.
“In some instances, the closure added an additional 30 kilometres to locals’ round trip into Glen Innes as they detoured via Cherry Tree Road.
“The old bridge was decaying, rotten and had countless structural faults due to its age.
“Thankfully, the wait will soon be over and it will shortly be replaced with a new four-span concrete foundation bridge, which will be more durable and able to handle heavy vehicle traffic from surrounding properties.”
Mr Marshall said the new bridge was made possible by a grant from the former State Government’s Fixing Country Bridges program, which was designed to help councils replace old timber bridges with new concrete structures.
“Timber bridges across the Glen Innes district are slowly being replaced with more modern, sturdier and more durable concrete structures,” he said.
“This will not only improve safety and usability, but it will ensure the bridge remains intact for years to come.
“This is terrific news for the district, particularly for locals who rely on Furracabad Road to travel to and from the Glen Innes township.”
The new bridge will be completed before the end of the year.