General News
31 October, 2020
John Doyle Bridge re-opens
In what was great news for motorists across Mareeba, on Friday morning the John Doyle Bride on Anzac Avenue finally reopened.
Mayor Angela Toppin said it was great to be able to finally use the new bridge. “The bridge is finally open I have just driven over it and it is wonderful to have that access again for our community,” she said.
“It was a very old bridge and it required extra work on it but we are satisfied that it is a very sturdy and safe bridge for our residents.”
Repairs were originally scheduled to start in June 2019 but had been delayed several times to avoid congestion when road works started on the new lights on Byrnes Street.
Work finally began in June of this year, with more delays announced for the reopening of the bridge in September.
MSC Mayor Anglea Toppin said the delay was caused by unforeseeable building problems.
“As opposed to a greenfield site where you are starting from scratch when faced with a refurbishment project such as this, you inevitably encounter unexpected elements,” Mayor Toppin said.
“As expected, when working on an old bridge, a number of decisions were only able to be made when the existing superstructure was removed and exposed the concrete elements. Once this had been done it was then revealed that additional works were required to accommodate the new girders and concrete deck.
“Our staff has worked incredibly hard under trying circumstances and I am very pleased we have been able to re-open the bridge today (Friday).
“Council has continued to deliver a number of projects while working on the bridge including the Pickford Road Upgrade at Biboohra, Mareeba’s Byrnes Street Beautification Project, the water main upgrade at Rob Veivers Drive in Kuranda and exploration works for a new water bore at Chillagoe.”
The John Doyle Bridge upgrade included replacing the superstructure of the bridge (timber girders and steel deck) with steel concrete and strengthening the existing concrete substructure (piers and abutments).
A council spokesperson said “The works will increase the overall lifespan of the bridge, providing access to a significant residential area and a reliable transport route.”
