The unprecedented, continuous three-week closure of the Story Bridge over the festive period must include a public transport plan, says the Labor Opposition in Brisbane City Council.
The three-week closure is set to cause headaches for an estimated 60-thousand vehicles a day, who will be pushed into bottlenecks over the Captain Cook and William Jolly Bridges, or forced to pay tolls on the Gateway Motorway or the Clem 7 Tunnel.
The LNP administration in Council says that the closure is part of Council’s road resurfacing program, including waterproofing.
The last time the Story Bridge had a continuous closure was in 2018, when the bridge was closed over a single weekend – also for resurfacing and waterproofing.
Council has told commuters to “plan ahead,” and check the Translink app for updates, but Brisbane Labor says there is no public transport plan to ease congestion or the financial burden for those seeking to avoid congestion.
Speaking on 4BC Mornings with Gary Hardgrave on Friday, Cassidy said that a three-week continuous closure for similar publicised works indicated something had gone wrong behind the scenes.
Brisbane Labor charges Adrian Schrinner and the LNP Council with failure to adequately maintain the bridge over the last decade. They say that because this has led to the three-week closure, ratepayers should not be forced to cop the financial burden of tolls or lose time stuck in congestion bottlenecks.
The Opposition Leader says the Lord Mayor must “pick up the phone” and speak to fellow LNP members in the State Government about boosting bus, ferry and train services during this time to maximise alternatives to car travel.
Currently, four bus routes cross the Story Bridge: the 227, 228, 234 and 232.
In a statement released on Thursday, Cassidy said that under the LNP Administration, there has been no evidence of coordinated transport planning.
“Brisbane continues to pay the price for two decades of decline of the Story Bridge under Brisbane’s LNP Council.”
“Not only has Brisbane lost millions by Council’s failure to act on warnings given a decade ago, but now they will pay out of pocket with tolls or pay with their time stuck in congestion.”
“Thousands of people rely on public transport routes across the bridge to live, work and play. Our city’s leadership must deliver a plan for them as soon as possible.”
Shadow Transport Minister Bart Mellish MP joined Cassidy in calling for a clear public transport plan, and for increased transparency from Council.
“Ratepayers cannot be lumped with the costs of the council’s decision making.”
“The Lord Mayor needs to come clean on how many of these major closures motorists will see in the coming years due to their failure to maintain a Queensland icon.”
The longest continuous closure of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, opened eight years before Brisbane’s Story Bridge, was for 18 and a half hours in 2007 to celebrate the bridge’s 75th anniversary.
