CONTINUED public outcry over the deterioration of key local infrastructure after the October 2022 floods has paid off for the residents of the Nagambie area as business group Go Nagambie helped secure a $6.3m promise from the coalition to repair Kirwans Bridge.
About 50 locals gathered at the Nagambie side of the bridge on Thursday to hear Shadow Infrastructure Minister Bridget McKenzie and Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell announce the Nationals' commitment to repair the bridge for vehicular traffic.
"An elected coalition government will be funding $6.3 million to get the job done," Senator McKenzie said.
She commended the Nagambie and Kirwans Bridge communities for their continual lobbying.
"These things don't just happen," she said.
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"Everybody who has stood up over time and not given up, made sure Sam (Birrell) was aware of it, so he then beat a path to my door."
Strathbogie Shire Mayor Claire Ewart-Kennedy said council welcomed the announcement which was the result of the community's efforts.
"We are, as a community, stronger for all those people who are standing here," Cr Ewart-Kennedy said.
"What it showed was the strength of local communities.
"We are getting stuff done and this is evidence that we can get this bridge open."
Pressure on the Strathbogie Shire Council and the government had come from a recent meeting of the Go Nagambie committee to develop strategies to ensure all tiers of government understood the economic and social impacts of the bridge's closure.
The committee also included in their campaign the impacts of the Chinamans Bridge exclusion zone and the degradation of local roads.
The closure of Kirwans Bridge as a vital connection for the locality's community has long been a source of frustration to both residents and visitors to the region.
Go Nagambie member Robyn Taylor said the two-and-a-half year closure had impacted the local economy significantly.
"This is not just a crossing," Ms Taylor said.
"This is a vital piece of infrastructure for the wellbeing of our community; and that includes allowing farmers who live on this side of the river to get to their farms on that side.
"It allows us to get an ambulance across in a short amount of time and not go around the back way.
"It also allows us an evacuation route for our bushfires if any come from the north."
Ms Taylor said a ball-park calculation with a 50 per cent reduction in the number of round trips that locals made into Nagambie suggested a $3.6m loss to Nagambie businesses.
"There's people here that have lived here, you know, forever, and they used to go into the pub at least once a week for a meal or drinks.
"They haven't been in there for two and a half years."
Ms Taylor also said visitors from Melbourne would be able to enjoy the area more with easier access.
Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell told The Euroa Gazette that a coalition government would provide the funding 'when needed'.
"If we're forming government, we've committed the funding," Mr Birrell said.
"So it's there whenever the council needs it; all the community wants is to get it open as soon as possible."
Strathbogie Shire Council closed the bridge following the 2022 flood, amid concerns of structural damage.
In response, residents sought independent advice from the engineering firm that had been previously engaged by council to provide consultancy services in maintaining it. The independent engineer’s review found that the bridge was not impacted by the flood and was still capable of safely taking traffic with load limitations, provided that the bridge received some immediate repairs and was regularly assessed and maintained.
In contrast, the historic timber-constructed Chinamans Bridge 2km upstream suffered irreparable damage during the 2022 flood.
Due to the danger of the bridge collapsing under its own weight, the shire imposed a restriction zone to prevent vessels from passing under it.
The bridge was closed to all traffic in 1989 and replaced by a new bridge 200m downstream.
In January this year, council received a permit from Heritage Victoria to demolish the Chinamans Bridge, apart from its land-based abutments, following overwhelming support from the Nagambie community.
Go Nagambie president Mark Washington said such issues that influence livelihoods should be raised during the upcoming federal election.
"We want to ensure that our voices are heard and the future of Nagambie and its surrounding towns are built on a foundation of strong infrastructure, ample economic
opportunities, and interconnected communities,” Mr Washington said.
Strathbogie Shire CEO Tim Tamlin said council officers had met with the two engineering consultants that have previously completed assessments of the bridges to understand if there may have been any changes since the original assessments, and that council had met with community members to ensure a common understanding of the bridge's condition.
He said the funding announcement was an 'awesome' outcome.
"This is really good for the community, getting some sort of guarantee that there's a future with the funding," Mr Tamlin said.
"These bridges are council assets (but) council doesn't have the capacity to be able to manage them and keep the level of service up that the community deserves.
"This is a big step, no, this is a huge step that the coalition has made that commitment.
"I wonder if we'll get a matching one from the other side."
