BYRON SHIRE Council has received the perfect Christmas present from the NSW Government – $2.6million for the replacement of five old bridges.
The grant from the Fixing Country Roads program has been welcomed by Byron Shire Council’s Acting General Manager, Mark Arnold, who said it was like receiving an unexpected gift from Santa.
“I could not think of a better way of finishing the 2017 year than with this generous grant from the NSW Government,” Mr Arnold said.
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Byron Shire Council will use this money to replace Scarrabelotti’s, O’Mearas, Booyong, James, and Parkers bridges in the Bangalow area and I know this will be welcomed by the residents who use these old bridges regularly.
“The bridges are currently one-lane and have load limits on them and this creates a range of problems for surrounding agricultural industries which include the Booyong processing plant, dairy, beef and macadamia farms,” Mr Arnold said.
“Byron Shire is one that is generally known as a holiday destination so it is pleasing to see the NSW Government recognising the needs of our rural residents and the industries that supported the region well before it was ‘discovered’ by tourists,” he said.
The tenders for the bridge replacement project have been advertised and Council is hoping work will start around March 2018.
“Council will work with the successful tenderer to determine the order the bridges are replaced and there will be extensive communication with residents to ensure they are aware of the program of works and the time line for construction,” Mr Arnold said.
The NSW Fixing Country Roads grant complements a $3.15 million Federal Government grant received in September as part of the Australian Government’s Bridges Renewal Program which will also go towards the replacement of the five bridges, as well as the construction of a new causeway at Blindmouth Creek at Main Arm.