Six-month wait for bridge hit by floods
andrew.potts@news.com.au residents from the Stanmore Road route.
Motorists travelling to the Hinterland must take a longer journey up Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd to Bannockban Rd where they can again connect with Stanmore Rd.
Both the Wilkie bridge and the state-controlled John Muntz Bridge were destroyed by the swollen Albert River.
Repair works have begun on the Muntz bridge and will be complete by mid-year.
Designs for a replacement Wilkie bridge are being prepared by council architects. The replacement costs are expected to be millions of dollars.
The final price tag for the project is yet to be determined but ratepayers are unlikely to pick up the tab.
The council has made an application to the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, a joint funding initiative from the federal and state governments.
Area councillor and Deputy Mayor Donna Gates said the damage was severe and would take time to repair.
“It is likely to be closed for six months because the eastern approach to the bridge was severely damaged as the floodwater eroded the banks of the river,” she said.
“It is of great concern for me that it has had such an impact on locals but there is nothing we can do other than explore design work and hope the Federal Government will respond to the need for the funding.”