Just five years ago Kyogle Council faced a huge challenge to replace 125 timber bridges, many of which were already severely load limited and some closed altogether. With great support from State Government funding programs like Fixing Country Bridges, Council set about a programme to replace all timber bridges with either a concrete bridge or a large culvert.
In September this year the 105th bridge was photographed under construction by Kyogle Council staff. In just four years, and with most of them designed and built by their own Engineers and skilled staff, Council is very near to its objective of replacing all timber bridges with resilient structures requiring very little ongoing maintenance. This initiative has made significant improvements to road safety, increased flood resilience, and reduced maintenance costs.
What is even more impressive is that these bridges have been built at a time that Kyogle Council, like many Northern Rivers Councils has been hit with numerous natural disasters requiring extensive asset repair works.
Kyogle operates a model where staff Engineers and Supervisors manage the construction of the bridges using highly skilled Council employed crews that are complemented by contractors when needed. This model has seen the community of Kyogle served by more than 100 new bridges built on time and within budget.
Whilst the USU always will advocate for day labour, it’s good to see a model that Kyogle is using that’s all about local jobs, local skills, and an incredibly talented Council workforce that continues to deliver for its community.
