NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison and Kiama candidate Katelin McInerney visit Hampden Bridge this week. Photo: NSW Government.
NSW Transport officials have refused to commit to a timeframe on how long it will take for a decision on the future of Hampden Bridge.
Heavy vehicles have been banned from using the 1898 Kangaroo Valley bridge since the end of May to relieve pressure on the structure.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) told ABC Illawarra at the time that extensive monitoring and testing of the historic bridge over the past 12 months had revealed “significant wear and tear getting harder to predict”.
The government said the move to ban vehicles over 23 tonnes (previously 42.5 tonnes) would reduce the amount of maintenance work required on the timber-decked suspension bridge while options for its future were investigated.
On Tuesday (19 August) the bridge was the focus of questioning during the Roads and Transport budget estimates hearings in NSW Parliament, a day before Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison visited the site with Labor candidate for Kiama Katelin McInerney.
Ms Aitchison was briefed by TfNSW engineers, who said the first round of safety repair works on the bridge had proceeded smoothly and were due to be completed on schedule during the week.
The night work is part of the government’s $500,000 three-point plan for the bridge. As well as essential maintenance to keep it safe, the government will investigate options for a temporary access across the Kangaroo River and start planning for a permanent new bridge.
However, during questioning in budget estimates, TfNSW deputy secretary for Road Maintenance and Resilience Matt Fuller said he didn’t want to commit to a timeframe for the plan, saying it would be “a number of months”.
“I understand that it’s very challenging for the community, and certainly want to acknowledge that,” he said.
When pushed by committee member and Opposition spokesperson for Transport and Roads Natalie Ward on when heavy vehicles would again be able to use the bridge, Mr Fuller said the ultimate aim was to restore the load restriction through maintenance work.
“We need to develop that plan. We need to do that work. We need to make sure there are no hidden surprises when we pull out those structural timbers and replace them,” he said.
“Then we do a final engineering assessment at the end of the work and then monitoring, with the aim of restoring that load limit. We are also working on the options for temporary bridging in the event that that load restriction isn’t able to be achieved.”
Ms Ward asked if he had a “rough guesstimate” about when that would be.
“It’s going to take some months. There’s no question.”
“A year?” Ms Fuller asked.
“It’s going to take us, I would say, at least another number of weeks to develop the program around, as I said, the scaffold and the replacement of the timbers,” Mr Fuller said.
“We will start a much more comprehensive program of the bottom chord on the bridge, which is the bottom timber rail. To access that, we have to erect a substantial amount of scaffold onto the bridge.
“At the moment, we’re doing detailed engineering assessments about the dead load of that scaffold and how the bridge can be phased because that load restriction not just applies to vehicles but anything we obviously place on the bridge to undertake that maintenance, so we’re just working through that at the moment to get a detailed program.
“As we progress that we will be staging the works on the bottom chord. The bottom chord requires the potential relocation of some of the utilities to get access to the structural timbers, so it is a very detailed piece of work on an 1898 bridge.”
While repair work is undertaken, Transport officials are investigating options for a temporary access across the river, including a temporary bridge next to the existing bridge, or a detour option with an alternate river crossing.
Options for a new bridge crossing are also being developed in consultation with the community and Shoalhaven City Council.
“The Minns Labor Government has heard directly from the community and is investing $500,000 to provide short, medium and permanent solutions to ensure heavy freight can cross the Kangaroo River, including a new bridge,” Ms Aitchison said during her visit.
“Delivering a new temporary or permanent bridge is a complex process and won’t happen overnight, but our teams are working as quickly as possible to increase the weight limit.
“We understand the impact the current load restrictions have on the freight industry and community. We will present viable options as quickly as possible and I thank heavy vehicle operators and the dairy industry for their patience and ongoing cooperation while investigations are underway.”
