Works to repair Maitland River Bridge will start immediately

9/9/04
Damage to the Maitland River Bridge and adjacent sections of North West Coastal Highway, approximately 20km west of Karratha, will be repaired by the end of November, Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan announced today.
Ms MacTiernan said an alliance contract had been awarded to BGC Contracting at a total cost of $1.5million.
"Works will start immediately to fix this important stretch of road, which provides linkages to the rest of the Pilbara Region, in particular Onslow and Pannawonica," she said.
"Cyclone Monty left a path of destruction in its wake when it passed over the lower Pilbara Region earlier this year and flooded several major catchments and river systems.
"The flood washed away over 200m of the North West Coastal Highway on the approaches to the Maitland River Bridge and seriously damaged 300m of shoulders and embankment."
The works include construction of relief floodways and improved rock protection for the approach embankments.
"The refurbishment works will improve the waterway capacity of the roadway and provide for increased protection of the road embankment", the Minister said.
Burrup MLA Fred Riebeling said the works would be complete before the next wet season.
"Not only will the works fix the current damage, they will also provide extra capacity at that section of the highway to withstand a greater volume of floodwaters," Mr Riebeling said.
"While we can't prevent the weather, we can work towards ensuring that our infrastructure is as strong as it can be."
Minister's office: 9213 6400