New Crooked Creek bridge now open
Published Wednesday, 15 October, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Minister for Main Roads and Local Government
The Honourable Warren Pitt
The replacement of Crooked Creek bridge, located on the Burnett Highway north of Goomeri, has been completed and will improve safety for motorists, Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt said today.
Mr Pitt said the original bridge structure, which was constructed of timber and located eight kilometres north of Goomeri, had been replaced with a new concrete bridge and the road approaches widened and improved.
"Crooked Creek bridge is one of several timber bridges located on the Burnett Highway currently being upgraded as part of the Southern Queensland Accelerated Road Rehabilitation Program (SQARRP)," he said.
"The program is replacing 31 older timber bridges with new concrete structures to better meet current and future freight demands in southern Queensland.
"Other bridge upgrades completed along the Burnett Highway this year include Boonara Creek No. 4 Bridge at Booubyjan, which was completed in April, and the Barambah Creek Bridge, between Nanango and Goomeri, which was finalised in May.
"Further north on the highway, the Philpott Creek Bridge replacement (between Gayndah and Mundubbera) was completed in February 2008."
Two new concrete bridges over Nangur Creek at Goomeri are currently under construction and, when completed, will take the total number of bridge replacements on the Burnett Highway to six.
“I am pleased the safety and usability of the Burnett Highway is being improved through these bridge upgrades," Mr Pitt said.
“The highway is a key freight and tourist route between southern Queensland and other parts of the state.
"The SQARRP project will help to ensure the Burnett Highway remains a reliable and safe route for intra-state travel for many years to come.
"Many of the timber bridges identified for replacement are more than 60 years old. Freight and traffic demands have changed considerably since their construction and so we are upgrading them to cope with demand well into the future.
Under the $126.5 million SQARRP bridge project, 31 timber bridges on the state-controlled road network have been bundled together to form a fast-tracked program of works which is expected to be completed by December 2009, weather permitting.
The program delivers cost efficiencies as well as time savings. Without fast-tracking and bundling together, the work would take up to 17 years to complete.
Mr Pitt said Main Roads was providing an additional benefit through the program – a recycling initiative to ensure the left-over timber from replacement projects was retained and used to rehabilitate and repair remaining timber bridges in the state.
"The timber originally used to construct these bridges is a rare type of hardwood," he said.
“Through recycling as much of the remaining timber as possible, there is less need to find the scarce timber from new sources, which means the demand on hardwood timber resources is significantly reduced.
"Conservation is a key requirement for our sustainable future. Main Roads is pleased it can help reduce the demand on timber through its recycling program."
Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819
Mr Pitt said the original bridge structure, which was constructed of timber and located eight kilometres north of Goomeri, had been replaced with a new concrete bridge and the road approaches widened and improved.
"Crooked Creek bridge is one of several timber bridges located on the Burnett Highway currently being upgraded as part of the Southern Queensland Accelerated Road Rehabilitation Program (SQARRP)," he said.
"The program is replacing 31 older timber bridges with new concrete structures to better meet current and future freight demands in southern Queensland.
"Other bridge upgrades completed along the Burnett Highway this year include Boonara Creek No. 4 Bridge at Booubyjan, which was completed in April, and the Barambah Creek Bridge, between Nanango and Goomeri, which was finalised in May.
"Further north on the highway, the Philpott Creek Bridge replacement (between Gayndah and Mundubbera) was completed in February 2008."
Two new concrete bridges over Nangur Creek at Goomeri are currently under construction and, when completed, will take the total number of bridge replacements on the Burnett Highway to six.
“I am pleased the safety and usability of the Burnett Highway is being improved through these bridge upgrades," Mr Pitt said.
“The highway is a key freight and tourist route between southern Queensland and other parts of the state.
"The SQARRP project will help to ensure the Burnett Highway remains a reliable and safe route for intra-state travel for many years to come.
"Many of the timber bridges identified for replacement are more than 60 years old. Freight and traffic demands have changed considerably since their construction and so we are upgrading them to cope with demand well into the future.
Under the $126.5 million SQARRP bridge project, 31 timber bridges on the state-controlled road network have been bundled together to form a fast-tracked program of works which is expected to be completed by December 2009, weather permitting.
The program delivers cost efficiencies as well as time savings. Without fast-tracking and bundling together, the work would take up to 17 years to complete.
Mr Pitt said Main Roads was providing an additional benefit through the program – a recycling initiative to ensure the left-over timber from replacement projects was retained and used to rehabilitate and repair remaining timber bridges in the state.
"The timber originally used to construct these bridges is a rare type of hardwood," he said.
“Through recycling as much of the remaining timber as possible, there is less need to find the scarce timber from new sources, which means the demand on hardwood timber resources is significantly reduced.
"Conservation is a key requirement for our sustainable future. Main Roads is pleased it can help reduce the demand on timber through its recycling program."
Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819