Campbells Creek - Fryers Road bridges

Work has now commenced on the demolition and construction of the first bridge south of Hawkins Road. Eleanor Drive has now been sealed and is the designated detour around the bridge construction works.

View the Southern Bridge design.

View the Northern Bridge design.

The designs show the location of the proposed walkway. The proposed boardwalks that join the walkway are currently being designed and will be available to view once they are complete.

This project involves the replacement of two bridges which are located just north and south of Hawkins Road opposite the Recreation Reserve on Campbells Creek - Fryers Road. Both are in poor condition and are load limited.

Campbells Creek - Fryers Road is a Link Road and traffic count data shows that there are in excess of 800 vehicles per day using the bridges. The current load limit is not appropriate for a Link road. The existing detour for heavy vehicles is through a residential area via Eleanor Drive, which is part unsealed and Blanket Gully Road.

In 2017 the bridges were inspected and found to be in poor condition, both were recommended for replacement in the short term and have now been prioritised for construction this financial year.

The new bridges will comply with today’s standards for road and bridge construction which will allow the current load limits to be removed. It is anticipated that the life of the bridges will then be 80 to 100 years.

There is no intent to change the current speed limit of 50 kph along Campbells Creek Fryers Road following completion of this project.

The design of the bridges includes:

• Large culverts which will allow for a slightly greater flow of water (than is currently available) and thereby help reduce the risk of flooding.
• Rock beaching to reduce the likelihood of erosion.
• Adequately provision for increased use caused by any future residential developments planned in the area.
• Pedestrian pathways across both bridges to remove pinch points and the need for pedestrians to traverse the lanes of traffic, and to enable connectivity to future planned pathways along Campbells Creek Fryers Road.

Please note that Council is continuing to advocate for funding for a pathway from Campbells Creek to the Recreational Reserve as a priority identified in the current Walking and Cycling Strategy. The pathway section from the recreational reserve to the bridges (and beyond) are yet to be designed.

The design has been completed in accordance with the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) permit conditions.

Every endeavour is being made to avoid removing the large Manna gum tree located next to the northern bridge – we are undertaking hydro excavation under an arborist’s supervision to ensure there is little to no damage to the tree. The gum trees located near the southern bridge will all remain as construction work will not interfere or effect any of these trees.

The sandstone blocks will be removed as part of the project and stored so that they can be reused on future projects in Campbells Creek. The sandstone blocks cannot be economically reused in this location.

As part of the project we will also be investigating upstream restrictions and constraints.

The project is a design and construct project. It is being delivered by ACE Infrastructure Pty Ltd (Ace).

The design of the bridges (using culverts) has now been completed and construction is underway.

Design work is continuing in relation to the walkway for the southern bridge and the proposed boardwalks that are adjacent to this bridge.

Construction commenced with the sealing of Eleanor Drive in the first week of January 2021. Demolition and construction work on the first of the two bridges is now underway.

It is anticipated that, weather permitting, the project will be completed by the end of April 2021.

Graeme Barnes - Project Manager
Email: g.barnes@mountalexander.vic.gov.au