A timber bridge near Grantham will receive $2.6 million in renovation funding to protect it from floods in the future.
The Newman government said the structure is a key road for locals, primary producers and emergency services, yet it has been ravaged by water damage on two separate occasions.
Community recovery and resilience minister David Crisafulli said the low-lying Thistlethwaite Bridge on Lockyer Creek would be replaced with a new concrete structure.
The project could create opportunities for apprenticeships in Queensland, with the work being carried out under the state government’s $80 million ‘betterment’ program to shore up damage-prone infrastructure.
Mr Crisafulli said: “What the betterment project does is let local communities put forward a solution that might cost a little more up front but will save us all paying for damage over and over again.
“This project will allow life to get back to normal as quickly as possible once floodwaters recede.”
The total cost of the project is over $2.6 million, with more than $1.2 million coming from the ‘betterment’ scheme.
Part of the Grantham-Winwill Road, the bridge is often used by local vegetable farmers and one of the region’s biggest employers – Stanbroke Meat Processing Plant.
