A CRANE, excavator and crew of workers made short work of Wells Bridge last week.
The former bridge had deteriorated significantly in recent years, and saw an increase in traffic since the Benjeroop-Tresco Road was upgraded.
A $1.7 million project will see the single-lane timber, steel and asphalt bridge with a limit of 44 tonnes replaced by a two-lane concrete bridge with a load limit of 160 tonnes.
On Thursday Gannawarra Shire Council used a drone to capture some of the action as the bridge surface was torn up and the central span removed.
There is now a gaping hole in the Lake Charm-Benjeroop Road, which will be closed for another five to seven weeks while a new bridge is constructed.
The soffit, or underside, of the new bridge will be 500 millimetres higher than the bottom of the old bridge, after flood wardens mounted a successful campaign for an 11th-hour change its design.
Led by Lindsay Schultz, they argued the old bridge was a significant impediment to floodwater, and a 150 millimetre increase planned by Gannawarra Shire Council was insufficient.
They said a 500-millimetre rise would significantly increase the capacity of the river at that point, removing the worst bottleneck between Kerang and the Loddon’s junction with the Murray River.
The decision was referred to Gannawarra Shire councillors, and on Thursday morning they agreed to the rise.
The variation, which will mean the approaches to the bridge have to be raised and the entrance to the Benjeroop Hall modified, is expected to be accommodated within the project budget.
