Council welcomes $2.17m for new Byrrill Creek bridge

15 September 2017

New bridge designed for floods to go over the deck

Tweed Shire Council has welcomed funding from the Australian Government’s Bridges Renewal Program to help build a new bridge across Byrrill Creek to replace a temporary one-lane timber bridge prone to flooding.

“The announcement yesterday from Nationals Duty Senator for Richmond Senator John Williams is fantastic news for Tweed Shire and, particularly, the residents of Byrrill Creek,” Tweed Mayor Councillor Katie Milne said.

“Council has wanted to replace this timber bridge for many years. Now, with the Federal Government contributing half the cost of $2.17 million, we can get on with providing this upgraded link for the community.”

The timber bridge fording Byrrill Creek at Terragon was washed away in the 30 March 2017 floods. Not only did the bridge lose its deck, but parts of the abutments also went downstream.

Within weeks, Council purchased additional bridge girders and recovered sufficient quantities of the washed-away bridge to build a temporary one-lane structure to restore access for the residents of Byrrill Creek and Cedar Creek roads.

“Council then applied for funding under Round Three of the Bridges Renewal Program, knowing the temporary bridge also would be prone to flooding and a more permanent solution was needed for the residents who use this bridge every day,” Cr Milne said.

The new concrete bridge will be two metres higher and will be designed to allow floods to go over the deck without damaging the structure.

It will be built downstream of the existing timber bridge and construction will start around 2019.

The bridge will be 40-metres long, have an 8.2-metre-wide deck (two standard-width traffic lanes plus shoulders) and traffic barriers on either side.

The alignment of both approaches to the bridge will be improved.

“Initially we considered different locations and alignments for the new bridge to assist with flood protection and traffic at the intersection of Kyogle Road and Byrrill Creek Road, however those options would have added several million dollars to the cost,” Manager Roads and Stormwater Danny Rose said. “While the approaches to the new bridge will be improved, the existing intersection will be retained and we will need to look at other ways to improve traffic safety at this intersection.”

The new bridge will cost $4.35 million, based on initial estimates.