Great Scott, the bridge is out (temporarily)!
Published on 10 October 2022
Many of the shire's timber bridges need replacing so they are better prepared for floods.
Kempsey Shire Council is replacing Scotts Bridge as part of the bridge replacement program. To carry out this work Belmore River Right Bank Road will be closed at Scotts Bridge which is 2.8km from Loftus Road.
A detour will be in place for the duration of the project. Those traveling from north of the bridge will need to use Loftus Road to travel through Crescent Head or South West Rocks Road from Gladstone. Those traveling from south of the bridge should use Seale Road to Crescent Head Road.
Replacing Scott Bridge will help the drivers who use Belmore River Right Bank Road travel safely and comfortably and help Council build a more resilient community.
The works are scheduled to start on Monday, 17 October 2022 and should be completed on Friday, 18 November 2022, with any wet weather potentially causing delays.
Please follow traffic signs, use detours and drive to conditions. For more information head to www.ksc.pub/scottsbridge
Here’s to you Robinsons Bridge
The work on Scotts Bridge comes after the swift replacement of Robinsons Bridge in September.
The work to replace the old timber Robinsons Bridge on Summer Island Road used innovative techniques.
Being a school bus route, Council wanted to complete it in two weeks, coinciding with school holidays, to limit the inconvenience for school bus routes.
To achieve this, Council arranged for the contractor to precast the base slabs on the side of the road and then lift them and the culverts/headwalls into place in one day. This saved about 10 days against the normal practice of pouring the slabs in-situ.
Unfortunately, this technique can’t be used on other projects as the slab would be too heavy.
On the Saturday before the team started excavating, floodwaters went right over the sheet piling but thankfully these had passed by Monday.
Council has secured $20.5 million in funding for the project from the NSW Government's Fixing Country Bridges program.
This project is another example of Council's commitment to a community vision that "our people are given the opportunities and infrastructure to build a safe, welcoming and sustainable community."
WORKS DETAILS
WHAT Replacing Scotts Bridge
WHERE Belmore River Right Bank Rd at Scotts Bridge 2.8km from Loftus Rd
DATE 17/10/2022
UNTIL 18/11/2022