How did you spend your rainy Saturday?
Kempsey Shire Council’s bridge crew used it to build a bridge, way ahead of schedule, just in case the floods came.
The team worked hard in the evenings of last week and all day Saturday, placing pre-cast decks and building the approaches during wet weather, in order to get Silvermine Bridge ready should flooding impact Turners Flat Bridge.
During the short September flood we heard complaints from some community members when Turners Flat closed for approximately 24 hours.
Silvermine Bridge was closed at the time due to a scheduled replacement. While letters were sent to residents, signs were in place and wider communications were used the residents were understandably upset when they found themselves cut off.
Council’s bridge crew didn’t want this to happen again. So the team went above and beyond to get Silvermine Bridge in place should it be needed.
Kempsey Shire Council Manager Infrastructure Delivery, Dylan Reeves, said the bridge needed replacing so it was better prepared for floods, and offered a huge congratulations to the crew.
“This was delivered well ahead of our anticipated opening of mid-November,” said Mr Reeves. “Well done to the team, a big congratulations to Dan Powick and the Bridge Crew.”
“The replacement of Silvermine Bridge will help us deliver a more resilient shire. The new bridges will be safer, more durable and able to withstand larger loads.”
“We have worked extensively to keep the community informed about the project and especially during the recent flood. We thank the residents for their patience.”
Those sentiments were shared by Craig Milburn, General Manager.
“A huge thank you to Dan and the team for getting this work done. Your efforts are very much appreciated. This is a great example of going well beyond the call of duty. Amazing effort.”
The works on Silvermine Bridge are being run by Council after it secured $20.5 million in funding for the bridges replacement project from the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Bridges program. Council is also contributing around 10% of costs from its general fund to the project.
Silvermine is the latest of 56 bridges across the shire set to be replaced across a number of years, with safer, more durable concrete bridges replacing ageing timber bridges.
The Silvermine Bridge replacement works started on 19 September to help the many drivers who use it travel safely and comfortably. In total, Willi Willi Road was planned to be closed between Sherwood Road and Turners Flat Road for 2 months.
Please note, the bridge remains CLOSED currently, however should Turners Flat Bridge close due to riverine flooding, we are now in a position to allow traffic to use the bridge and will advise if that occurs.
