By Dongyun Kwon
The idea of setting up a temporary bridge at a construction site was rejected by the minister for roads and road safety.
Maroondah Aqueduct Bridge in Yarra Glen was built between the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The bridge and the aqueduct are heritage-listed and protected.
Transport Victoria has kicked off four-staged maintenance works for the Maroondah Aqueduct Bridge and has shared the details about the works on its website, saying “Without this maintenance work, a load limit would need to be applied to the bridge in the near future restricting the types of vehicles that could use the bridge.”
Stage 1, including site investigation and establishment, defect repairs and preparation for the next stage of works, was completed in January.
Stage 2 included removal of existing pavement, installation of support piles and reinstating temporary pavement, and was completed in February.
“Stage 3 will involve a full closure of the bridge for up to two weeks. There is no alternative to closing the bridge for this stage of works,” the Transport Victoria website reads.
“We have postponed this next stage of works until later in the year to prepare for the full closure.
“We will return to complete Stage 3 works in the September school holidays and will provide more information before works restart.”
Since the plan was opened to the public, Yarra Glen residents raised concerns about the pending closure of the bridge.
Matthew Westbury, who lives near the bridge, is worried about not only the safety of his two sons but also other locals who regularly pass through it.
“They’re going to shut the bridge for two weeks, and they’re obviously acknowledging the high traffic volume that’s coming through here,” he said.
“We’re saying, if you’re going to take that away from the public for two weeks, then it’s not really unjustified to ask for its own separate walkway so that my children can get off the bus and safely walk home or take a bike down into town.
“This bridge is literally the only way in and out of town for everyone that lives on the side of the hill.”
As a solution, Elidon MP Cindy McLeish requested roads and road safety minister Melissa Horne to investigate the installation of a temporary 44-tonne bridge over the aqueduct, together with a temporary pedestrian footbridge in Parliament.
“People are understandably worried and would like to see a temporary bridge and even a temporary footbridge as well for kids to be able to get across to go to school and into town,” Ms McLeish said.
Minister Horne responded that a temporary structure was considered impractical due to the limited road reserve, encroachment into private properties as well as conflicts with overhead and underground utilities and services on either side of the existing bridge.
“Schools and community were key considerations for this project,” she said.
“The works on the bridge will be undertaken in stages to ensure closures on this important route do not take place during fire season and if possible, during school holidays.”
The last traffic count was conducted in July 2023, averaging 5448 vehicles per day.
Of this, 88.2 per cent were light vehicles and 11.8 per cent were heavy vehicles.
Ms McLeish said the minister’s response is disappointing for the surrounding community and those who drive Eltham-Yarra Glen Road.
“There seems to be no other solution from the Allan Labor Government other than to completely close the bridge,” she said.
“This does not help the enormous volume of traffic who will need to detour over an hour on windy roads to get to and from Yarra Glen, or the M80, detouring around the back through Watsons Creek onto the Melba Highway.”
“I worry that the trucks will use the Heidelberg-Kinglake Road as an option or head up through Strathewen, which is extremely narrow, steep and risky as we saw with the recent Melba Highway closure.”
