I READ in The Guardian the need to repair the lift span of the current bridge to
allow water traffic to pass under it (Monday August, 6).
This technology is
over 100 years old and was fine for past times.
I can not believe that our
current council members have settled for the same technology for the new bridge
to be built over the river at Swan Hill.
The so-called leaders of our
community, our current councillors, have settled for the same technology for the
next 100 years or more, with a need to lift a span in the new bridge when river
traffic needs to go by.
With the prediction of more environmental flows and
higher rivers when possible, I would say that no thought to the future has been
put into this process and limits Swan Hill’s ability to grow into the future and
prosper.
Not only this, council believes that the best place for the bridge
to dump all the road traffic flow into the very heart of the town is a good
idea.
With traffic consisting of B Double trucks, livestock trucks (and we
all know what comes out of them as they travel along the road), agricultural
equipment including large spray units, large tractors and large trucks
travelling to the silos for loading and unloading, a bridge cutting through the
current park and closer to the sound shell makes no sense at all.
This is not
to mention the current facilities that have to be moved and the disruption to
the peacefulness of the park area.
I don’t know of any other place where
they are directing all the larger traffic to the middle of town.
All forward
thinking councils are building bypasses or directing larger traffic out of town
and using town space for community activities and local traffic.
All this has
been rubber stamped by the State Government.
This council will not be
remembered for getting the bridge moving and built, but will be remembered into
the future as “who the hell put a bridge in this spot.”
Don’t get me wrong,
a bridge is needed but not in this position or this style.
A fly over bridge
is needed not a lift span one, and any place has to better that the one
chosen.
As a resident of Swan Hill I challenge the council to revisit what
they have accepted as second rate and look to the future, not the past or
present.
