Thursday 14 January 2009
Tamworth Regional Council will have the Somerton Bridge low level crossing re-opened to traffic from late Thursday afternoon January 14).
Flood repair and restoration works to the concrete causeway at the bridge crossing are in progress and will be completed late Thursday allowing traffic back onto the route.
Tamworth Regional Council spokesman Warren Faulkner says construction crews have been working on the crossing since Monday repairing the damage to the concrete slabs.
Flood waters 10 days ago closed the crossing and high water flows prevented a full damage assessment and repair work until Monday.
Mr Faulkner said some of the concrete slabs had been lifted and moved downstream and the alignment of the low level concrete structure had shifted. A couple of central slabs had also sunk. Part of the repair work involves lifting those centre slabs and re-positioning them on slab infills as well.
Damage has been estimated at $20,000.
The crossing was put into place after the November 2008 flood which hit the Somerton bridge and knocked out three spans. The bridge has been closed since then.
TRC and the community will take their case for flood relief funding to build a new bridge to the Minister for Transport and Roads Da*-vid Campbell when they meet in Sydney on January 27.