Anger at bridge delay

THE proposed partial reopening of crucial bridge access to Mt Tamborine in late July is cold comfort for suffering businesses in the region.

Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey yesterday revealed a revised later reopening for John Muntz Bridge after part of it washed away more than two months ago in Cyclone Debbie flooding.

A week ago Mr Bailey had hoped the key transport link across the Coomera River, used by 15,0000 motorists a day, would reopen by “mid-2017”.

The bridge, which was supposed to be floodproof, is now not scheduled to reopen until late July. When it does it will do so with only one lane.

Mr Bailey said both lanes would be operational before the end of August “unless we get another extreme weather event”.

Fox and Hound owner Justin Hemer said to hear the bridge would not have final repairs completed until late August was “disappointing”.

Mr Hemer said he estimated drive-by traffic to the popular pub had been slashed by about 70 per cent since the bridge had become impassable.

“It is just crippling,” he said. “People that know us and where we are even struggle to get to us.”

Mt Tamborine’s The Manor accommodation manager Shay Drysdale said he had expected the bridge to be back up and running by now and he could not believe it would take until late August.

“That timetable is just ridiculous,” he said. “It could have been a lot sooner. It has knocked us around definitely.”

Mr Bailey said his department was “throwing everything at it” to get reconstruction done as quickly as possible, with work seven days a week. It had been a “priority” since April’s flooding, he said.

“So far crews working around the clock have removed more than 500 tonnes of concrete and 13,0000 tonnes of debris from the Coomera River – equivalent to about 1000 truckloads.”

Albert MP Mark Boothman said late July for one lane and late August for final repairs was not “mid-2017” as Mr Bailey had stated a week ago.

“It’s not acceptable for resident and businesses of Upper Coomera and Mount Tamborine who are suffering a massive downturn because no one can find the place,” Mr Boothman said.

“It took them a few weeks to even start the project so they were fluffing around at the start.”

Mr Bailey rejected the criticism. “The Member for Albert is clearly clueless about the scale of work that is needed to get the causeway repairs and needs to stop playing petty politics with a natural disaster,” he said.