The Derwent Valley Council welcomes the announcements from Minister Fergusson and the release of approved design requirements for the Bridgewater bridge multi-million dollar upgrade.
Mayor Ben Shaw said that it was very pleasing to see the Minister’s update and that the project now has some timelines and a way forward.
“We would of course welcome a new four lane bridge and upgrades to the Granton intersection and off ramps, however support both design proposals as a way to continue the conversation.
“We have always said we would be concerned about the old Bridgewater bridge being left in place. This is absolutely not a suitable solution for the Derwent Valley community, it would be counter productive to have a new bridge built to the heights of the Bowen bridge only to have the river corridor blocked by an ageing white elephant that has huge negative ongoing maintenance costs.
“An upgraded Bridgewater bridge is a chance for our community to flourish and maximise the amazing river access while creating a river highway as a mode of transport. It would be one way to remove vehicles off our already busy road networks and utilise our stunning natural assets to increase tourism options.
“The Derwent Valley is a fast growing regional area being dubbed recently as the hottest tree change region in Australia. We are already seeing rapid growth and interest in our area, therefore the Granton blockage point and river access is extremely important for our future.
“We thank the government for progressing this project forward and getting to the next stage and we look forward to engaging in the very exciting process ahead.”
Source: Derwent Valley Council