Story Bridge restoration discussed with MPs ‘at least eight times’

5 days ago 7

The lord mayor discussed the Story Bridge restoration with state government MPs at least five times last financial year, Brisbane City Council has revealed.

The bridge’s footpaths were closed without notice as Cyclone Alfred swirled off the Queensland coast in March. Expert reports later emerged showing deterioration to the bridge presented an “extreme risk” to the public.

Almost $7 million is now being spent installing steel replacement decking to reopen the footpaths, which are used by about 4000 walkers and cyclists daily.

Workers repair one of the bridge’s footpaths.

The city-side path will reopen before year’s end, with the council announcing on Tuesday that works were ahead of schedule.

“This is an incredible engineering effort,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said in a statement. “Our investment ensures this Brisbane icon will continue to serve our city.”

Labor has repeatedly hammered the council over the footpaths’ closure, and what it has described as long-term bridge maintenance failures.

The Story Bridge’s city-side footpath will be the first to reopen.

But in response to questions on notice from the opposition this week, the council said the bridge was discussed during at least eight meetings between councillors and government MPs in the past financial year.

The mayor took part in five of those meetings, and the premier was present at four.

“The lord mayor and administration councillors regularly engage with state ministers and MPs through a variety of formal and informal settings,” a note added.

“These interactions are difficult to quantify due to their frequency and their informal nature, nor are they limited to a single topic.”

Labor leader Jared Cassidy doubled down on Wednesday, saying Schrinner had not done enough to prevent the closure.

“Brisbane’s paying more for this temporary decking today because Adrian Schrinner ignored several warnings since 2016,” he said.

“Ratepayers have already forked out $1 million for nets to catch the crumbling bits of footpath because Adrian Schrinner kicked the can down the road for a decade.

“Six million dollars has been spent on this decking, and it will be gone in a few years. Why didn’t this LNP council save everyone time and money and restore the Story Bridge when they were told to 10 years ago?”

A $5 million business case to plot a longer-term restoration plan is due to be completed in 2026, with joint funding from the council and federal government.

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