A watershed moment was achieved on Wednesday at Council on the future of Cuttagee Bridge.

Hello Supporters,

This is another update from the Bermagui Community Forum.  Much appreciation to those who spoke at the meeting and contacted the councillors, and especially to Councillor Helen O'Neil for the amendment which will see heritage and other values included in the bridge's design.

Please, if you haven't already completed the survey, ask for a single lane timber bridge. Deadline 30 April

https://begavalley.nsw.gov.au/community/have-your-say-cuttagee-bridge-renewal

 The weight of community opinion in this matter will be important. It is also pleasing to see an occasional new signature on the petition!

A watershed moment was achieved on Wednesday at Council on the future of Cuttagee Bridge. 

The design tender awarded includes 2 hybrid design options that are to consider the use of "substantive" timber and that use will need to be more than cosmetic. Council has taken four years of delay, U turns and eventual acceptance to come to this decision. However, a two lane concrete bridge unfortunately remains as the third option.

The design engineers appointed (Chris O’Brien & Co based in Traralgon and Bairnsdale Victoria) are required to develop 3 bridge designs to concept stage, being a single lane hybrid bridge, a two lane hybrid bridge and a two lane concrete bridge. Each design would include an attached shared pathway. It is planned that these 3 concept designs will then go on public exhibition before a final Council decision.

Council reached this decision after an impassioned speech from Councillor Helen O'Neil to support an amendment to include the timber elements. The amendment was eventually passed unanimously. An edited version of Helen's speech is below.

This followed submissions in the public forum from Ken Robinson, Save Cuttagee Bridge Group, Geoff Steel, Bermagui Community Forum, and Cathy Griff, past Greens Councillor that stressed the need for a hybrid design to be more than just adding some “decorative timber” and the significant ongoing community support for the heritage values of the Bridge. Many written submissions were also sent to Councillors prior to the meeting by concerned ratepayers and these no doubt weighed on Councillors' minds.

The full Council resolution for the appointment of the design engineers was:

“That Council notes that the  designer will be working to the 2023 Design Guideline to improve the appearance of bridges in NSW published by Transport for NSW as Bridge Aesthetics, particularly the guideline on Modifications and additions to heritage bridges and bridges of cultural value from page 102.

That Council notes that the “hybrid” options that will be developed to 20 per cent by the designers under item A.3.2 of the agreement include timber substantive elements as in the current bridge structure and consideration of the overall appearance of the bridge in its environment, as part of the established character of that bridge, and as having heritage value.”

Councillor O'Neil Speech

"I deeply regret that we are here again discussing the iconic Cuttagee Bridge.

"For four years we have had a situation where the bridge sits there needing urgent work. We all want a safe bridge that is fit for purpose for local connections, and remains an icon on a tourist road.

"Over that time 
•    We have had a proposal sprung on the community without discussion; 
•    The Council making a non-compliant grant application to the state government and so unable to fund that work with its 2 lane concrete bridge;
•    Reiteration by the Council that it will only build a 2 lane concrete bridge
•    A generous offer from the Minns State Government to allow good planning and design to be undertaken, with stakeholder consultation, and a final works project based on thorough cost/benefit analysis.

"However, it emerged last week that the Council is apparently being tricky. The 2 hybrid options for bridge renewal were instead to be concrete with a decoration – a pastiche - absolutely at odds with discussion about how that cost/benefit analysis could be meaningful.

"My amendments are about rectifying that last situation so that the designers who have been selected for this stage of work can do their job properly. They’re tasked to prepare options to the 20 per cent stage so they can be evaluated.

"Heritage, environment, impact of bridge closures during construction, access to community areas around the bridge are absolutely relevant to that analysis, and unless real hybrid options are considered, the process will be meaningless. A rough cost estimate of the options is also relevant and can’t be done unless they’re designed properly

"The current bridge is a hybrid of concrete, timber and steel.  It bears the scars of floods, of years of under investment but is still a tourist attraction in its own right, and at the heart of an area for locals for recreation and enjoyment of our Shire’s environment – what Councillors usually refer to as Paradise. I didn’t want to use a cliché here, but it is just so relevant – Joni Mitchell’s song 'They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot'. A one lane option may keep the character and keep the traffic slow – let’s look at a real option for this, and compare with 2 lane versions.

"Now the bridge cannot be built, whatever the result of the cost benefit analysis without further assistance from either or both the Federal and state governments. I suggest that we won’t be treated with respect by either unless we do this stage of the project properly.

"In my amendment I refer to the Transport for NSW Design Guideline on Bridge Aesthetic. Now I am sure the guidelines are updated regularly but the regard for cultural and heritage value remains. There’s some great illustrations of how renewal can be done with heritage and environment impact taken into account. 
The principle of the guideline is to change as much as necessary but as little as possible.

"I personally don’t want a freight route that involves trucks doing a right hand turn in the middle of the Bermagui CBD close to shops, pre-schools and libraries, but we should at least evaluate what is the purpose of the road. I do want the designers to have a think about the essential character of what is happening at Cuttagee Beach as part of tourism and local recreation and environmental care, and about the need to preserve the national parks and flora reserves that are the major sites and properties along the road, and the enclaves like Tanja along it. They will need input from our Council staff and Community to really do their job and I hope that after today they will have that in a respectful and open way."