Story Bridge restoration plan cost soars by another one million dollars
Brisbane ratepayers face an extra $1 million bill after the business case for Story Bridge restoration blew out to $6.1 million, prompting Labor to slam decades of LNP neglect.
The business case into the full restoration of the Story Bridge will cost an extra one million dollars than previously budgeted.
Documents obtained by the council Labor Opposition and seen by The Courier-Mail reveal the business case will now cost $6.1m - nearly $2m more than originally forecast.
Council Opposition leader Jared Cassidy used the blowout to launch his speech to about 500 Labor members, delegates and MPs at the state Labor conference on Saturday.
The initial price tag was thought to be $4.5m, before increasing to $5m, in the council budget and is jointly funded by the federal government and Brisbane City Council.
A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said the budget allocated for Story Bridge works is till $2m under budget due to work on the footpaths completed ahead of schedule.
“Money saved from the new footpath decking works will help cover the additional cost of the business case, which is now underway,” she said.
It followed a report that revealed the 85-year-old bridge was in such a state of disrepair it would not be safe for most users - vehicles and pedestrians alike - in about 20 years.
Addressing the state Labor conference on Saturday, Mr Cassidy recycled an LNP government slogan to sledge Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner for the blowout.
“We’re in this situation because of decades of decline under the LNP, they’ve done just enough to scrape by,” he said.
“But now we’ve got bridges on the brink of collapse, young people deprived of the opportunity to own their own home, and people spending hours in traffic only to come home to find their bins haven’t even been collected that week.”
Mr Cassidy said the Story Bridge was a “visual statement” of how the LNP council regime “treats the whole city”.
Engineering firm Arup had been engaged to deliver the business case.
Council expects to present the business case to the state and federal government next year.
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Originally published as Story Bridge restoration plan cost soars by another one million dollars
