A 93-year-old bridge in the Sunshine Coast hinterland is receiving a facelift.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads is undertaking maintenance on the Sandy Creek Bridge on Maleny-Kenilworth Road, just east of Grigor Road, at Conondale.
The works are focused on repairing and securing the bridge footings and foundations, as well as the guardrail on the bridge itself.
Works began in late April and were expected to take about three weeks, weather and construction conditions permitting.
A TMR spokesperson said the works would take place on weekdays between 6am and 6pm.
“There should be minimal impact to local traffic as the majority of work will be taking place underneath the bridge,” they said.
“Motorists may experience minor delays at times due to occasional site movements or other work-related activities. Road signage will be in place to advise of any changed traffic conditions.”
The bridge is 93 years old and last underwent significant maintenance in 2021 to replace deteriorated timber piles and headstocks.
The works are being carried out under TMR’s general routine maintenance program.
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State Member for Glass House Andrew Powell said the works would benefit motorists.
“These works are about keeping the bridge safe, stable and reliable for all road users,” he said.
“In a rural area like Conondale alternative routes are limited so it is essential we maintain existing infrastructure.”
Mr Powell said he was keen to see further improvements to the road network in the area.
“I’ve worked tirelessly throughout my service as Member for Glass House to see upgrades to the Maleny-Kenilworth Road,” he said.
“Most significantly, we recently concluded construction of two lanes of bitumen on what is locally known as the ‘goat track’ – the section between Lees Road and Booloumba Creek Road.
“While this (Sandy Creek Bridge) project is unrelated to that works, it continues our commitment to see safety improvements progressed along the length of the road.
“Ideally, I’d love to see this, and other single-lane bridges, upgraded to two lanes.”
The TMR spokesperson confirmed there are no current plans to replace the Sandy Creek Bridge.
They said TMR was progressively upgrading or replacing timber bridges across the state-controlled road network.
“Priorities and upgrade treatments are determined by consideration of site-specific factors that include recorded crash history, traffic volumes, road geometry and visibility,” they said.
“Any future proposed upgrades will compete for funding against other priority infrastructure projects across the state.”
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
