Katter skewers State Government over Barron River Bridge report

A federal MP has slammed the Department of Transport and Main Roads for “seemingly” ignoring recommendations engineers had made in safety reports towards the Barron River Bridge.

A FEDERAL MP has weighed in on “damning” engineering reports outlining serious issues with the Barron River Bridge, released under Right to Information rules.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter said the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ engineering and safety documents relating to the bridge revealed warnings for the past five years which had seemingly been ignored.

In February 2020 TMR imposed a load limit of 50.5 tonnes and since November last year commuters have been reduced to a crawl by traffic lights regulating vehicle movements.

An engineers’ report completed in February was sitting with Transport Minister Mark Bailey however the department had been selective in the release of details contained in the report.

Barron River Bridge on the Kennedy Hwy near Kuranda. Picture: Stewart McLean

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Now according to RTI documents dated from 2015-2020, it’s been revealed that six years ago engineers recommended replacing nuts and bolts on fixed and rocker bearings as well as jacking up the structure to replace entire expansion joint bearings.

Further reports from 2017-2020 all referred back to the 2015 inspection, again recommending repair or replacement of corroded parts in a time frame ‘no later than two years’.

According to RTI documents, the bridge (built in 1963) was always going to be more susceptible to damage from heavier loads because it contained 45.7m spans – which were more than three times longer than the average span length for bridges of its era.

Barron River Bridge on the Kennedy Hwy near Kuranda was built with spans about three times longer than the average length of that era. Picture: Stewart McLean

The documents revealed that retrofitted Macalloy bars – designed at increasing structural strength were “compromised through both pitting corrosion and wear of the stressing bars vibrating against the girders raising concerns of brittle failure in the bars”.

“The unverified tier one assessment indicates that the girders and the headstock cantilevers are operating at margins less than current Australian standards for general access semi-trailers and the 50.5 (tonnes) 19m B-doubles/ truck and dogs that can currently access the route,” a 2018 report read.

“This is a life and death situation,” Mr Katter said.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter says building the Bridle Track is a “way out” of the Barron River Bridge issues. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“Either the state government is acting with overcaution and totalitarianism or alternatively it should have closed the bridge sooner and has been criminally irresponsible.

“However, we’ve given the state government a way out. Build the Bridle Track immediately and limit the Kuranda Range to cars only. The tourists and Greenies will love you.

“We are negotiating with the federal government for a further $1.6m to speed up the engineering plans and to get construction of the Bridle Track started.

“The state government has done nothing but protect its own backside, at the expense of 70,000 residents on the Tablelands, in the Gulf and Cape.”

Originally published as Katter skewers State Government over Barron River Bridge report