LOGAN City Council has confirmed repair work is under way to the Alan Wilke Bridge at Wolffdene, one of the most damaged pieces of infrastructure after recent flooding throughout the City of Logan and City of Gold Coast regions.
The bridge provides crucial linkage to the M1 for residents of Logan Village, and a number of schools in the Gold Coast region, matters which were raised at a recent council meeting.
According to Logan City Council (LCC) mayor Luke Smith and City of Gold Coast acting mayor Donna Gates, every effort would be made to re-open the bridge as quickly as possible.
“The closure of the bridge is having a significant impact on the people who use it, adding to their travel times and moving traffic onto nearby roads,” Cr Smith said.
“Our councils are working together to restore the local road network as soon as we can, but public safety is our number one priority.
“Parts of Logan and the Gold Coast are still recovering from a natural disaster so we ask our residents and motorists to bear with us as we get on with repairing the bridge.”
Cr Gates said: “We are working on a solution that will deliver the best possible bridge design to fast-track the opening of the bridge”.
“We have also applied for the cost of the repairs – which are still unknown at this stage – to be funded jointly by the federal and state governments via Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
“If the weather is kind to us then we expect the Alan Wilke Bridge to be open by the end of the year, but sooner hopefully.”
LCC also began work in late April on Chardon Bridge, removing the old bridge that connects Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road and Plunkett Road at Cedar Creek.
According to Cr Smith: “The floods have not affected our plans for Chardon Bridge and works are under way”.
“We expect the new Chardon Bridge will be open to the public in September 2017,” he said.
A signed traffic detour is in place around the work zone via Chardon Bridge Road, Veivers Road and Beenleigh-Beaudesert Road. An alternative route is also available via Plunkett Road and Waterford-Tamborine Road for motorists travelling south.
Higher-than-usual traffic congestion is expected to continue as Logan region residents are forced to find other routes.
An alternative route for freight operators was announced by the state government on April 21.
"Today we approved an alternate route along the section of Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road, north of the Stanmore Road intersection and joining with the currently gazetted route at Logan River Road," minister for main roads, road safety and ports Mark Bailey said.
"We'll monitor conditions on the alternate route until the Alan Wilke Bridge is restored and the previous access can resume."
Check the alternative route ‘Brisbane 13 Map’ at the Department of Transport and Main Roads website.
