A “last resort” option to place a toll on the Story Bridge is still in play after the Queensland LNP State Government handed down their budget on Tuesday afternoon.
Lost among the headlines was the lack of a contribution for the Story Bridge restoration.
Last month, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told media he was advocating for a funding agreement between all three levels of government to fund the restoration of the Story Bridge.
It came after the Brisbane Labor Opposition in City Hall had revealed Adrian Schrinner was warned several times over the last decade to act on a restoration but had failed to do so.
Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleije said in response that because the Story Bridge is a Council asset, its restoration is a Council responsibility and they would not be making a contribution.
This was confirmed in the Queensland budget handed down on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite Brisbane’s Lord Mayor and the Queensland Premier trying to hose down suggestions of a toll, amendments to the Transport Infrastructure Act were rushed through state parliament last fortnight, effectively green-lighting Brisbane City Council to reintroduce a toll on the Story Bridge.
This month, the Lord Mayor shifted his messaging away from including the state government in a funding agreement, to calling for support from the federal government only, citing that the piece of road that goes over the bridge is called the Bradfield Highway, a national route.
Brisbane Labor Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy said developments over the past couple of weeks leave more questions than answers.
“In the wake of engineering reports revealing the Story Bridge footpaths pose ‘extreme’ to ‘catastrophic’ risk to the public, we have a Brisbane City Council budget that chips in a pittance to tinker with the bridge and state budget that chips in nothing.”
“Without a major shift in priorities away from advertising, overseas travel and exclusive events into infrastructure, Adrian Schrinner will have no other option than to toll the Story Bridge.”
On Sunday, a rally was held at Wilson Outlook Reserve calling on the Lord Mayor to not place a toll the Story Bridge.
At the time of publication, an open letter to the Lord Mayor to not place a toll on the Story Bridge had reached over 3,000 signatures. You can view the letter here.
