CONSTRUCTION will begin within a year to replace a bridge at Froomes Road, Castlemaine.
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Mount Alexander Shire Council has awarded a tender to VEC Civic Engineering at a contract price of $1,018,000.
Council proposed to spend $2.44 million replacing bridges in the area in its 2019/20 budget. These included the Froomes Road Bridge, and Eagles Road, Harcourt.
A new two lane contract bridge will be built to replace the single lane Froomes Road bridge during the project.
The council decided to demolish and replace the bridge after an assessment identified serious structural issues in February 2019.
Some are on remote roads but it doesn't matter, if their condition is bad, they have to be replaced.
- Christine Henderson
The vehicle load limits currently applying to the bridge could prevent fire tanker access to north-west Castlemaine in an emergency.
Construction is expected to begin later in 2020, outside of the fire danger period.
Shire Councillor Christine Henderson said the shire had a lot of old bridges, built 100 years ago, when the draft budget was released.
"Some are on remote roads but it doesn't matter, if their condition is bad, they have to be replaced," she said.
Mount Alexander Shire Council is responsible for more than 240 bridges.
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