Photo: Mark Wedge
The Sooning Street bridge remains closed and looks to remain closed for the foreseeable future, following the weather event of the 19th & 20th December where over
400mms of rain fell in Nelly Bay in 36 hours.
A spokesperson for Townsville City Council told the MCN “Initial engineering assessment of the damaged Sooning St bridge identified the damage caused by the recent rainfall event as significant.
Pictured above: Shows cracked pipe. Photo Supplied
Council is currently working alongside the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and establishing a project team to conduct additional engineering assessments to inform whether the bridge is able to undergo significant repair, or whether it will need replacement.”
Photo: Mark Wedge
Since that time a detour has been in place along Mandalay Ave, Barton and Kelly Streets. The spokesperson went on to say “Unfortunately the bridge will remain closed until these works can be conducted, however a suitable alternate route is available for traffic allowing access to and from Nelly Bay.”
We live on Upper Gustav Creek the water level rose very high and very quickly - although not as high as the 'Night of Noah' in 1998.
Some of the larger logs have been in the delta area of Gustav Creek for years and should have been removed.
Some land owners also have the philosophy if a branch or tree falls down you leave it there. Which is shortsighted, this should not be allowed in the creek or its flood plain.
TCC should actively maintain the delta area and clear debris BEFORE every wet season. They used to - but not anymore...
I have not been down to the bridge - has the debris not been cleared away??
The upstream substantial concrete apron above the "low flow culvert" is broken and also where the failed water mains went under. The affected cylinders have dropped into the failed low flow culvert zone underneath and then for the adjacent cylinders to fail.
Barton St., Bridge failed numerous times in its history and the Elena St., bridge was built insuffiently and had to be rebuit, with the Sooning St., bridge built in 1962, failed in 1974 to be lowered to become an "overtopping bridge" where the periodic storm water could go over the top of the bridge.
It must be realized that the Sooning St cconstruction is a dyke from the school front gate to the clinic bank of Gustav and…