AN angry group of district residents are demanding an 11th-hour decision to further increase the height of the proposed Loddon River bridge at Benjeroop.
A day before work is scheduled to demolish the current single-lane bridge, a group of flood wardens met on site yesterday morning to discuss their concerns.
Despite assurances that the flow capacity under the new $1.7 million will be enhanced, the flood wardens want the deck height raised by 500 millimetres.
Gannawarra Shire Council infrastructure services director, Geoff Rollinson said that there may be scope at this late stage to increase the deck height slightly more than the planned 150 millimetres, but a number of factors meant that a 500-millimetre increase would be untenable.
Flood wardens Lindsay Schultz, John Baulch and Colin Myers wet on site with ward councillor, Charlie Gillingham, and they discussed the issue with a shire engineer and the construction contractor who were overseeing the bridge closure.
Mr Schultz said that flood wardens were given assurances during past meetings that the bridge would be significantly increased in height.
“It was f——- discussed in-depth; they’ve known the f——- problems all along, and this is our chance to fix it up,” he said.
“If it doesn’t get sorted today, I’ll go straight to the Minister. Surely they can find the extra money.”
Mr Schultz said that a 500-millimetre increase in height would bring the flow capacity close to the 18.5 megalitres achievable at the Kerang bridge.
Access to Murrabit via the Lake Charm-Benjeroop Road will be cut during the next eight weeks to enable construction of a two-lane concrete bridge with a 160-tonne carrying capacity, which will replace a single-lane timber, steel and asphalt bridge with a load capacity of 44 tonnes.
Mr Rollinson said that additional flood flows would be achieved by a reduced number of bridge piles and desilting of the river on the northern side.
“The flow of the water there is not the main problem,” he said.
“The tail water trying to get into the Murray [River] backs up to there if the Murray is high.”
Mr Rollinson said that the bridge project had gone through a proper planning process, involving the North Central Catchment Management Authority, which has authority over flood-plain management.
“It’s based on a regional approach, not just what’s happening locally,” he said.
“It’s a very complex issue because a lot happens between Kerang and Benjeroop, because it’s so flat.”
The shire is due to meet flood wardens tomorrow.
