Tumby Bay District Council in South Australia has recently completed works to increase the bridge load capacity for Bratten Bridge, which forms part of a key freight route.
Bratten Bridge was built more than 50 years ago and is no longer capable of safely carrying the weight of modern high-productivity freight vehicles.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said by retaining the existing sub-structure and providing a heavily reinforced topping slab, this upgrade retrofitted the old bridge so it can continue to serve the community into the future.
“Other roadworks to support the increase in freight loading, including road surface improvements, were also completed as part of the project,” he said.
Upgrades will enable higher productivity vehicles to access the Ungarra grain storage facility and more efficiently move freight from the Eyre Peninsula.
District Council of Tumby Bay Mayor Sam Telfer said the Eyre Peninsula produces 32 per cent of South Australia’s cereal crops and contributes $640 million to the South Australian economy every year.
To maintain a globally competitive agricultural industry, our road infrastructure must facilitate the most efficient means of commodity transport. In this case, the bridge upgrade will allow up to an additional 10.5-tonne payload on each vehicle using the route,” Telfer said.
“This directly reduces transport costs, improves road safety through reduced vehicle movements and ensures that the most suitable and direct routes are available for the movement of commodities.”
The Federal Government committed $800,000 to this project, the South Australian government provided the rest.
Related stories:
- New $6.05M projects launched to boost freight bridges in the Upper Hunter
- EOI’s open for new Causeway Bridge construction
- Federal funding for the ACT’s Commonwealth Avenue Bridge