Ballina Shire Council has commenced preminary work required to duplicate Fishery & Canal bridges & raise River Street & Tamarind Drive road elevations in sections leading to these bridges to bolster evacuation capabilies during flood events & any future challenges.

Following the February-March 2022 flood event across the NSW Northern Rivers region which saw floodwaters from two saturated catchments converge on the town, Ballina’s evacuation routes were inundated, unsafe and, remained closed for a significant period.

This meant that the safety and well being of what was then a town of almost 47,000 residents had to be reviewed and rethought.

"The Evacuation Route Raising (including bridge duplications) project will be completed across three years and has been funded by $40 million from the Australian Government through the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program (NRRRP), which is administered by NSW Reconstruction Authority." [Ballina Shire Council, April 2024]

Ballina Shire Council, Major Projects, 17 April 2024:

Concept designs

Fishery Creek Bridge

Canal Bridge

Ballina Shire Council has started preliminary investigation works at Fishery Creek Bridge, on River Street, and Canal Bridge, on Tamarind Drive, as part of their plan to duplicate both bridges.

The project also involves raising portions of the roadway on sections of River Street, between Teven Interchange and Ballina Island, and Tamarind Drive, between Ballina Island and Cumbalum Interchange.

Duplicating the existing bridges and raising these sections of road will improve evacuation options during flooding events and build a more resilient road network.

Once constructed, the duplicated bridges will provide dual lanes in and out of Ballina Island, improve traffic flow and increase the roads' capacity to comfortably cater for future traffic demands.

Pre-construction work has started and will continue during 2024. This will include gathering geotechnical samples using barges and from the roadway at both Ballina bridges. These early investigations will involve:

• Footpath closures and pedestrian detours. Please follow on site signage.

• A marine barge will be present within both waterways. The boat ramp and navigation of the creek will remain open. Please follow on site navigation markers.

• Construction noise between 7am- 6pm, Monday to Friday and 8am – 1pm Saturdays.

Council will then move into the design and approval phase, with bridge construction anticipated to start in 2025.

This Council project will be completed across three years and has been funded with $40 million from the Australian Government through the Emergency Response Fund administered by NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program 2022-2023.

The duplication of the bridges will increase the traffic capacity of these roads and improve their ability to support evacuations in response to major flood events. As well as duplicating the bridges, this project will provide the initial stages of a road raising program which also improve the resilience of these arterial roads when they operate as evacuation routes.

Project includes:

• Construct two new bridges adjacent to the existing Fishery Creek Bridge and Canal Bridge to create four-lane accesses to and from Ballina Island.

• Expand the approach roads to match the four-lane bridges.

• Improve pedestrian and cycleway links to cater for more active transport across the waterways.

• Raise sections of roadway between River Street at the Teven Interchange and Tamarind Drive at the Cumbalum Interchange.

Ballina Shire Council will continue to inform the community at each project phase. For more information or to sign up for updates visit ballina.nsw.gov.au/BallinaBridgesDuplications