‘Pedestrians are safe’: Lord Mayor weighs in over Adelaide Bridge
The Lord Mayor of Adelaide says “pedestrians are safe”, after concerns over the Adelaide Bridge were raised for thousands of motorists and pedestrians.
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Adelaide City Council has addressed plans for upgrades to Adelaide Bridge, amid concerns of its durability that places thousands of motorists and pedestrians at risk.
The bridge, connecting the CBD to North Adelaide across the Torrens, is a frequently used path by thousands of pedestrians, heavy vehicles and event-goers, leaving or entering Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide City Council released a tender for a structural assessment of the heritage listed bridge on King William Rd – an Adelaide City Council asset – stating the nearly 100-year-old concrete arch bridge had exhibited “signs of deterioration and reduced asset life.”
The condition assessments completed in 2022, suggested the Adelaide Bridge should “undergo extensive strengthening and remediation works within five years.”
In a statement to The Advertiser, Adelaide City Council’s Director of City Services Tom McCready said, there is “no likelihood” of the bridge collapsing, as investigations into its condition continue.
Mr McCready said the Council had not yet determined the estimated cost of upgrade works.
“We have an open tender for engineers to assess the bridge and identify the scope of work that would be required to extend the life cycle of the bridge,” Mr McCready said.
“Once we know the level of work required, we will be in a position to talk about funding options.
“Currently, there is a load limit of 26 tonnes that applies to vehicles using the bridge, but there are no immediate safety concerns to the community.”
Speaking to ABC Radio Adelaide on Wednesday, Lord Mayor Dr Jane Lomax-Smith said she also had no safety concerns about the bridge but suggested it was in need of maintenance.
“I think that the pedestrians are safe, I’m not concerned about pedestrians but clearly heavy vehicles would be more risky,” she said.
“We’ve been looking at that for some years and I think that the bridge does require maintenance and we’ve been working with the government looking at ways this can be done.”
Lord Mayor Lomax-Smith said the council would have to enlist the help of “various funds” including Infrastructure Australia and Infrastructure SA to complete the necessary upgrades.
“This is a major project that the council can’t underwrite alone because it’s a major route into the northern suburbs and of course North Adelaide,” she said.
“But I can assure you that the footy fans are safe when they walk.”
Following investigations about maintenance work on the footbridge, Lord Mayor Lomax-Smith said the council was “still looking at options about what (they) have to do”.
“It’ll take a while for us to sort out what the best option will be and how we’ll do that but that will take some time,” she said.
A Department of Infrastructure and Transport spokesman said the State government has not received a request by the council to assist in upgrade works for the Adelaide Bridge.
“In the event such a request is made after the structural assessment has been tendered and carried out, it would be considered via the usual budget processes,” the spokesman said.
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