ALMOST $19 million has been allocated to repairing and replacing bridges in the Murray electorate in the budget handed down by the NSW Government this week.
More than $11 million will be directed towards replacing the Gee Gee bridge over the Wakool River on Noorong Road — the back route between Swan Hill and Moulamein.
The bridge at Barham will receive $6.3 million for repairs while a further $1 million will go towards furthering existing plans for the new bridge at Tooleybuc.
But farmer Aaron Spence, who farms near Noorong Road, said the real bridge which needed replacing was much closer to Swan Hill.
He said the restrictions on the Swan Hill bridge made it unviable to export grain from his farm near Lalbert to the NSW side of the river.
“Last year we couldn’t deliver grain to Garrison (grain storage in Murray Downs) even though they offered the best price at harvest,” he said.
“I’ve had to scale down instead of expanding.”
For more on this story pick up a copy of Friday’s Guardian (June 24, 2016).
