Watergums Creek Bridge Upgrade
The Watergums Creek Bridge upgrade will improve access and resilience for the Wonboyn community.
Project Summary/background
The Watergums Creek Bridge upgrade will improve access and resilience for the Wonboyn community and all traffic passing over the bridge.
The new bridge design considers the flood conditions of the Wonboyn River and Watergums Creek, and the existing level of service of Wonboyn Road in order to maintain access for road users between Wonboyn and the Princes Highway during flood events.
The recent, prolonged rainfall experienced in the Bega Valley resulted in Watergums Creek Bridge being inundated on 8 separate occasions from July 2020 to April 2022, resulting in closure of Wonboyn Road for total duration of 20 days. On four of these occasions, the bridge was inundated by more than two metres.
The new bridge will:
- replace the existing timber bridge with a reinforced concrete structure, resilient to bushfire threats and designed to withstand greater flood forces and debris loading.
- have a deck 3m higher than the existing bridge and we will be completing the required earthworks for the new approaches.
- include a deck above the estimated 1% annual flood event (100-year flood event). The existing bridge is currently below the 20% AEP flood height.
- have a greater resilience to natural disasters. The road will not be flood immune as it is still affected in several locations due to the natural topography and road alignment.
Purpose
The main purpose of this project is to:
- improve access, including emergency access, to Wonboyn.
- improve infrastructure resilience during natural disasters.
- reduce the maintenance burden to Council.
The design
The design of the new bridge will:
- be a two lane, two span, 30 metre reinforced concrete structure.
- have a design life of 100 years.
- be designed and constructed to SM1600 loading, which accounts for the possibility of two multi-trailer trucks travelling in convey, in a traffic lane. The proposed bridge design includes two lanes - an improvement from the existing single-lane bridge.
- be an ‘InQuik’ bridging system, which will aid in the program and quality of the works.
Construction
Construction will involve:
- early works to build the by-track and clear the debris in the river will commence in the coming months as outlined in the timeline.
- bridge construction works commencing in July and continuing through to November this year pending weather and other preliminary activities.
- maintained access to Wonboyn via the bypass track and a single lane, temporary bailey-bridge operating under traffic lights for the duration of works. This will be a similar arrangement to the works that were completed on the Wonboyn river bridge.
- access to Wonboyn via the current bridge or temporary bridge at all times exceptt for small pre-planned closures or emergencies.
Environmental controls
Enviornmental controls will applied through:
- the removal of some of the debris in the creek downstream of the bridge as the piles are an environmental and design risk.
- erosion and Sediment controls will also be included as normal practise for this project to control the risk of material entering the waterway.
- the clearing of some areas of the river banks for construction activities and the by-pass track. These areas will be rehabilitated at the end of the project.
- ongoing monitoring and testing will be part of the project and through its duration as Acid sulphate soils have been identified in the project area during the geotechnical investigations. The ‘Acid Sulphate management plan’ developed outlines the controls required for the works. There is reduced risk as there will be considerable amount of clean material imported to site to raise the road hence not excavating and disturbing the ground.
- testing of water has also been suggested by the Geotechnical consultant and involves a collection of tests for different scenarios as per the management plan.
Funding
This project is funded by the Australian Government with a contribution by Bega Valley Shire Council.
The Australian Government has funded $3.54M of this project under the Bridges Renewal Program.
Bega Valley Shire Council is contributing $1M to this project, from funds contributed by the NSW Government following the declared natural disaster of severe weather and flooding in February and March 2022 (AGRN 1012).
Connection to Council's Community Strategic Plan
This project aligns with Bega Valley Shire Council Community Strategic Plan through:
- A.7 – Provide and support ongoing emergency response and recovery efforts to rebuild communities and support resilience capacity building.
- C.5 – Lead climate change mitigation and adaption through implementation of our Climate Resilience Strategy focusing on natural systems, preparing for natural hazards, livable and connected places, safe, healthy and inclusive community, diverse and thriving economy, energy security and food security.
- D.1 – Plan for community infrastructure and services that will meet current and future needs.
- D.2 – Provide infrastructure and services to meet the needs of residents in our towns, villages and rural areas.
Related documents
Who to talk to
Cheyne Dick-Lenehan
A/Technical Services Coordinator
Bega Valley Shire Council
Phone: (02) 6499 2222
Email: CDick-Lenehan@begavalley.nsw.gov.au
Timeline of works
Council intends to complete construction during 2025. The proposed timeframe is:
Frequently Asked Questions
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- 02 6499 2222
- council@begavalley.nsw.gov.au
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PO Box 492
Bega NSW 2550 -
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