"History will be kind to us, because we will write it"
Simon Corbell has re-opened Tharwa Bridge [Est 1895]:
“This is a significant milestone for the restoration project of this historic bridge, and I am pleased that traffic will now be able to use the main connection between Tuggeranong and the Tharwa community,” Mr Corbell said.
“Stage three works has been underway for the last two years and has involved removal of the old bridge deck and barrier railings as well as installation of new cross girders and sway braces to the permanent trusses.
“In May, the new 108 metre long and 100 tonne timber deck was installed and has now been tied into the rest of the bridge structure. This work required the bridge to be closed to traffic for 14 weeks since mid-March 2011.”
A total of $26 million has been allocated to the project with $14.7 million provided by the ACT Government and $11.3 million provided by the Federal Government through the Roads to Recovery program. The work has been undertaken by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority who are highly experienced in the conservation and maintenance of old timber bridges.
Loading ...
So why is Corbell and some functionary wearing high-viz when some bloke holding a child on the actual road isn’t?
PM said :
Why do some black spiders have red stripes on their backs?
PM said :
So the 4WD’s and trucks know who to run down.
Awesome. Might go for a bike ride on the weekend and check it out!
KaptnKaos said :
Good, and it looks like one is coming now.
Its not open until 3:30. We took a drive down there & the barriers are still across the road at Lanyon.
KB1971 said :
Oh, right… so the photographer obviously had plans during the afternoon….
Goodo! That’s a 10km saving on a return trip to the Namadgi NP.
KB1971 said :
I took a drive down at 3:30 and the road was open. Photos and video to come.
They just said on radio that it could have built a new bridge for $8 Mil or replace the old one for $26 Mil.
That’s an extra $18 Million well spent.
Chop71 said :
Coulda, woulda, shoulda.
I doubt a bridge that has a span of over 100m that is 20 odd m off the river bank could be built for 8 million. I bet the bridges that are going onto the Monaro Highway will be more than that & half the infrastructure is already there for them.
I think they should have knocked it down a long time ago and replaced it with a bridge made out of concrete and steel. It may be the only bridge of its kind in the country but personally, I think it is no thing of beauty anyway.
I’d be fascinated to know how the cost got anywhere near $26m.
Chop71 said :
At least it’s money that didn’t get spent on giant phallic-looking owl statues and other pieces of art, I suppose.
Ian said :
Probably due to the fact that we pay such high rates, and because our fees for rego, drivers’ licences etc are among the highest in Australia.
Dave F said :
So you can’t see the historical significance of rebuilding the bridge? All too often these days these sorts of things are just destroyed and we lose them.
Peronally I love Tharwa, the general store, Cuppacumbalong & the historic feel that Tharwa has. No where less in the ACT is the same (Hall bass be developed somewhat).
The bridge suits the area & I am glad they rebuilt it in it’s original design albiet with modern improvements.
I really should not post while surfing on my iPod, quality checks on my posts can be difficult ………….
For those interested in some history on the bridge, as noted it opened in 1895, but the guys who operate the Canberra’s Engineering Heritage web site say that a bridge opening ceremony took place on 27 March, 1895, a day which was declared a public holiday. More info at: http://www.engineer.org.au/chapter01.html
Ian said :
Well considering it took them two goes to get it right, $26 million seems quite a bargin actually.
At least it didn’t collapse when they were halfway through rebuilding it!