Bridges in Indi to benefit from new Coalition program
17-June-2010
A Coalition Government will create a $600 million program to rebuild and repair thousands of ageing and decaying bridges around Australia, including some in Indi, the Federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella said today.
The new Bridges Renewal Program will receive a $300 million contribution from a Federal Coalition Government over four years, to be matched on a dollar for dollar and case by case basis by local or state governments.
“This is a very important program because I know that some of the councils in Indi simply don’t have the funds to upgrade every bridge,” Mrs Mirabella said. “I know of a few local examples that could be upgraded.”
“There are Councils in Indi that have up to 100 bridges needing repair. A benchmark figure suggests it costs about $700,000 to refurbish or replace a bridge.
“There are more than 30,000 small road bridges around Australia, many gradually decaying. They are usually on secondary freight routes and in regional Australia.
“Some council’s have been unable to afford maintenance and upgrades necessary to keep these bridges open. Some have load limits. Sometimes people simply have to find another route.
“The federal money will be distributed on a competitive application basis, giving priority to community needs and economic return. It will be part of the AusLink programs and further details will be released closer to the election.
“This is a great initiative, and dovetails nicely with the Roads to Recovery program, which the former Coalition government created,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.