Documents obtained by the Brisbane Labor Opposition have revealed the business case for the Story Bridge restoration has blown out by $1.5 million.
Originally quoted by the LNP Council as $4.5 million, it then grew to $5 million in their 2025-25 Council budget. The awarded contract came before councillors this week, which the administration awarded to ARUP at a cost of $6.1 million.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner was first alerted to the state of the Story Bridge footpaths in 2016 in his role as Deputy Mayor, when engineers described the footpaths as posing an “extreme risk” to the public.
In March, the footpaths were closed due to Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred which forced the Lord Mayor to concede the footpaths had long-running issues before the cyclone, and the footpaths needed to be closed for pedestrian safety.
An LNP Council spokesperson claimed that the budget for the Story Bridge restoration was still under budget because works to place temporary decking over the decaying footpaths had finished early.
However, the temporary decking and blue nets under the old, crumbling footpaths have cost almost ratepayers almost $7 million, an expense that Brisbane Labor has argued could have been avoided if the LNP Council had acted sooner.
Councillor for Wynnum-Manly Ward, Alex Givney, attempted to defend the LNP’s record after Brisbane Labor Councillor Emily Kim of Calamvale Ward, continued to grill the administration over the business case blowout.
“I find it offensive that Cr. Kim is questioning the expertise of the Story Bridge Restoration Committee.”
Cr. Kim fired back saying she will “never stop until we stop the toll on the Story Bridge. Unlike the LNP Councillor who runs away from her community in Wynnum-Manly.”
Cr. Kim shared the exchange to her Instagram where the interaction was viewed almost 45,000 times within 24 hours.
