Residents lose popular walkway

Invicta Rd man Nev Mercer believes the demolition of Smiths Crossing Bridge is an inconvenience and will affect parents who used to send their children to Avondale State School.

Max Fleet

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STUDENTS at Avondale State School will likely have to enrol at another school after the Smiths Crossing Bridge was demolished yesterday, cutting their walking access to their school bus.

The single-lane timber bridge over the Kolan River, damaged during the Christmas floods and deemed too unsafe to leave in its current state, is about 20km north of Bundaberg.

Invicta Rd man Nev Mercer said the demolition of the bridge did not make much of a difference to traffic, since it had been shut to traffic since 2008, but the fact the walkway was taken away from residents and students was an inconvenience.

“The school kids used to come from the other side of the river to go to school in Avondale,” he said.

“They used to walk or ride over the bridge and catch the bus in front of my house.

“Now three or four kids won’t be able to go to that school anymore and, after Christmas, they will swap them over to Oakwood State School.”

Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch said while the council appreciated the local community would like to continue using the bridge, the safety of pedestrians had to come first and it was believed demolishing the bridge was the only available option.

“We will be contacting the Department of Education and Department of Transport regarding the four primary school students who will be affected so that they can continue going to their current school,” she said.

In a report to Bundaberg Regional Council, group manager of roads and drainage Peter Jensen said the bridge had been closed because of structural issues.

But the floods in December/January had further damaged the bridge, washing away parts of the kerbs, running planks and deck planks, causing it to become unstable.

Smiths Crossing Rd residents John and Estelle Land said they weren’t opposed to the demolition, as the bridge was beyond repair, but felt it would be helpful if there were a walkway across the river.

“It was a ratty old bridge – you could hear the planks rattle a mile away,” Mr Land said.

Smiths Crossing Rd resident John Streefker said while he did not think the bridge was a big loss to the majority of the community, it was a shame to lose a walkway to a recently refurbished picnic area.

“There are more advantages than disadvantages,” he said.

“For my selfish reasons I don’t want it open to traffic, but it’s a bit rough to close it and not safely turn it into a walkway for the picnic area.”

Bridge history

The Smiths Crossing Bridge was opened in 1928 and was operating under a three-tonne load limit from 2000-2008.

It was closed to all vehicle traffic early in 2008 by the former Burnett Shire Council because the bridge’s condition had rapidly deteriorated.