Bridge secures crucial link

THE new Ridgewood Bridge outside Clunes was officially opened to traffic this week, providing a safer route for motorists.

The original bridge was built in the 1960s and, despite several major repairs, it had reached the end of its life.

The $4.3 million project was a joint initiative of the NSW Government and Lismore City Council. It supported more than 30 local subcontractors, suppliers and workers during construction.

A Lismore City Council spokesperson said the bridge on Mackie Road over Coopers Creek is a crucial link between Clunes and Rosebank.

“This greatly improves the resilience of the bridge to future flooding and reduces the likelihood of members of our community becoming isolated. It also ensures our farmers can get their produce to markets and improves the connectivity across our whole local government area,” they said.

The new bridge is a two-span eight-metre-long concrete bridge on driven steel pile foundations designed to provide unhindered clearance over Coopers Creek.

The deck height of the bridge is also 1.8m higher than the previous bridge.

The council engaged Davbridge Constructions Pty Ltd to build the project.

Lismore MP and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin said the new bridge near Clunes was a prime example of building back better.

“Rather than continue with patch-up jobs of a 60-year-old timber bridge, Lismore City Council partnered with the NSW Government to replace it with a concrete and steel bridge that has a 100-year design life,” Ms Saffin said.

“Mackie Road is a collector road serving about 400 vehicles daily and traffic volumes will only grow in future years,” the spokesperson said. “Importantly, the new Ridgewood Bridge sits higher over Coopers Creek, is wider, and provides greater resilience during times of flood and bushfire.”

The new bridge was constructed alongside the existing one to provide continual access for motorists during the construction period.

The old bridge will be demolished when the Rous County Council water main is relocated to the new bridge and the creek banks rehabilitated.

The project was jointly funded by the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Bridges program and Lismore City Council.