New concrete bridge for Cadgee

Eurobodalla Council will replace a timber bridge washed away in January’s floods with a $1 million concrete structure.

Construction will get underway in the second half of the year to rebuild Cadgee Bridge, located on Eurobodalla Road west of Bodalla. The bridge connects residents of Nerrigundah and Cadgee with the Princes Highway and provides an important link for local industry, including Cadgee Quarries who use the bridge to transport their quarry product locally and beyond.

Council has claimed $470,000 in ‘like for like’ emergency funding from the NSW Government to replace the timber bridge. However, councillors agreed at their meeting on Tuesday 22 March to supplement that funding with another $530,000 from Council’s budget to build a concrete structure.

Mayor Lindsay Brown says the concrete bridge is a better option for the community.

“Although it’s more expensive upfront, the concrete bridge will have an estimated lifespan of 100 years and requires significantly less maintenance than a timber structure.”

“Because it will be built at a higher level, the communities at Cadgee and Nerrigundah can rely on the bridge during heavy rain and the time they are likely to be cut off during floods will be reduced,” Clr Brown said.

Residents and businesses are currently driving an extra 15 minutes via Nerrigundah and Bodalla to get to the highway, and the Mayor said Council is pushing to complete the new bridge by the end of the year.

“Given the urgency to replace the bridge, we have already started the design work so we can call for construction tenders this financial year. Geotechnical investigations are required, along with environmental and funding approvals, but if all this comes in on time and the weather is kind, the new bridge will be complete by December this year.”