Works delayed on Nangetty-Walkaway Road Bridge replacement
Work to replace the Nangetty-Walkaway Road Bridge could be delayed for years, owing to rises in construction costs, according to Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn.
The 57-year-old bridge was subject to an inspection in May 2021, which raised concerns over its capacity to support the heavy haulage trucks which pass over it every day.
“During harvest it’s very busy, and when the Greenough River floods, it’s the only access point,” Mr Van Styn said.
Plans to replace the bridge hinged on sealing a 14km stretch of Arthur Road, providing a bypass during construction and into the future, but Mr Van Styn said current conditions in the construction industry have forced the City to suspend the roadworks.
“Because of the hike in civil construction costs, and materials shortages, we’ve had to hold off on the sealing project for this year,” Mr Van Styn said.
The City has maintained a regular program sealing small lengths of the road each year. The plan was to accelerate that effort, but cost increases have meant even the regular works have been postponed.
“The City has been working closely with Main Roads to find an alternative solution,” Mr Van Styn said.
Main Roads provided $1 million to fund the roadworks on Arthur Road. That money is now being diverted to develop a new plan to rebuild the Nangetty-Walkaway Road Bridge, which was reduced to a single lane in June 2021, with a reduced speed limit to ease the load on the ageing structure.
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