Katherine Town Council calls for second high-level bridge to withstand river floods

Record-breaking floods, which destroyed Fitzroy Crossing, have ignited calls for a second Katherine bridge to be built immediately.

The Katherine River bridge came dangerously close to being flooded in February 2021, with water reaching a height of 15m. Picture: Katherine Town Council

Katherine leaders are calling for plans to build a second high-level bridge to be fast-tracked in light of devastating floods in Northern Australia.

The calls come after Fitzroy Crossing was torn apart in a deluge from ex-tropical cyclone Ellie, which also caused destructive floods in the Territory’s Timber Creek.

The NT government has earmarked construction of a second high-level bridge over the Katherine River sometime in the next decade but Katherine Mayor Elisabeth Clark said that was not soon enough.

“Unprecedented is heard too often these days and 15 years is too far away,” Ms Clark said.

“We need to start planning for this now.

“We’re looking for solutions that reflect climate change as we know it today.

“If access to our current bridge is lost, all of the Territory’s resources south of Katherine come to a standstill.”

The current bridge, which is more than 20m high, is the only road access into Katherine from the north open year-round and to all vehicles.

A small weir crossing at Low Level Nature Reserve is closed during the wet season and is limited to 20-tonne trucks.

The Eugene Betti Bridge is the only heavy vehicle access route over Katherine River. The old railway bridge is today used as a viewing platform. Picture: Che Chorley

The Territory government’s Big Rivers Regional Economic Growth plan states that significant defence investment in the region “warrants the necessity of an alternate heavy vehicle route corridor including a second high-level crossing over the Katherine River”.

The document also states a single route poses a risk to supply chain networks and increased demand for transport infrastructure.

It sets out a goal to start the process of acquiring land for the bridge by 2025, with construction started “towards 2030”.

Katherine councillor Denis Coburn said the new crossing should be built even higher than the existing Eugene Betti Bridge, after the Stuart Hwy south of Katherine was cut off twice last year.

Fitzroy Crossing, in northern WA, has been heavily impacted by floodwaters from ex-tropical Cyclone Ellie. Picture: 3 January 2023, FISH/Facebook

“Everything stopped – Darwin experienced delays and the grocery shelves went bare,” Cr Coburn said.

“We want to fortify Katherine, and the Territory, for the future with this important piece of infrastructure.”

Katherine Town Council has not proposed how high the second bridge should be.

The destruction of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia has impacted essential trucking routes between WA and the NT, with repairs estimated to take months.

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