By Alistair Gray
For years, the residents of Bribie have been advocating for a new bridge. Even in this paper, The LOCAL News pulled together a petition calling for a new bridge. Our local member Ali King managed to secure funding of $4 million to pull together a business case. Community consultation followed with presentations and feedback sessions, with work on the formal business case started earlier this year. Even then, there was a chorus of criticism for the process, with impatient residents saying things like, "Why can't we just have our bridge built?", "Why the delays?". Yet Ali King stayed the course, working through the machinery of government and preparing the way to fight the political process with government funds in short supply and many pressing conflicting priorities.
Labor commits to a new bridge
On Monday July 2, the Labor election process took over with the announcement by Premier Steven Miles that a re-elected Miles Labor Government will deliver a new $700 million bridge to Bribie Island. The bridge would create a safer, more reliable, accessible connection and be fully funded through new borrowings. The proposed two-lane bridge would run parallel to the existing bridge, giving us four lanes and an active transport path for pedestrians, bike riders and mobility devices.
A media frenzy then followed. The announcement, Labor's first major election commitment with a $700 million spend, was immediately called an election bribe. Where was the completed business case? Why was the bridge suddenly a priority?
Serious maintenance issues uncovered
Channel 9 revealed a secret report that blew the lid off everything. In 2015, the Labor government ignored advice to undertake remedial work to extend the bridge's life past 2038. They also ignored the option of building a new bridge by 2020 for $140 million. Way less than the $700 million now projected. The recommended remedial work included the jacketing of the pylons, in other words wrapping them to stop further corrosion and to extend the bridge life. According to Channel 9, an inspection of the bridge in November 2020 found that the condition of the bridge structure had declined to a poor rating (Level 4), requiring immediate intervention to preserve the performance and structural integrity of the bridge.
The follow-up from the media was intense. Why was the recommended remedial work back in 2015 ignored? Why wasn't building a new bridge a priority? What is the ongoing maintenance cost? Is the bridge safe to use? Many of these questions remain unanswered.
Ali King, on her Facebook page, listed a history of past inspections as:
“TMR has conducted seven detailed inspections of the Bribie Island Bridge since 2013. “Following a TMR inspection in 1997, two piles were encased with protective material or 'jacketed'. This helps to maintain the structure. In 2013, an independent report conducted an underwater inspection and identified the need to encase more piles. Eight piles were encased between 2013 and 2020. Maintenance on our bridge is ongoing and a maintenance plan will be prepared as part of our Miles Government plan for our next Bribie Island Bridge.”
The LNP recommits to delivering a new bridge for Bribie Island
“The LNP is committed to delivering the bridge for Bribie. We are the only party consistently campaigning for a second bridge for Bribie. This is a vital project for our community,” LNP candidate for Pumicestone Ariana Doolan said. “After declaring in 2020 a new bridge ‘wasn't the priority’ and upgrades ‘weren't required until after 2031’, Labor now wants Queenslanders to believe it's suddenly a priority,” Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Jarrod Bleijie said.
Ariana Doolan said that the LNP would build a bridge to Bribie, as they had promised and finally give Bribie residents the confidence and security of a second bridge. They see this as a priority for the Bribie community and it's part of the LNP's plan for the electorate of Pumicestone. Finally, it is easy to make election promises, yet the history of Pumicestone is that in every election, we see a new politician come and go. There is no consistency and promises are made and broken. Both parties have promised a new bridge, yet will it happen? Frankly, I doubt it. It is all political 'bull dust’. There are too many more significant priorities for Queensland now and no one has seriously committed to saying when our new bridge will be delivered. I am happy to be proved wrong.
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