The new Brooking Channel Bridge in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region will open to traffic on Wednesday, November 13.
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The $107 million project has seen the replacement of an ageing single-lane bridge with a much stronger dual-lane structure and is the first to be delivered under the Western Australian Government’s Kimberley Resilience Program.
Following Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie in late 2022 and early 2023, flooding critically damaged the Great Northern Highway.
While the Brooking Channel Bridge was not destroyed by the flooding event, it remained a 100-metre single-lane bottleneck with limited survival capacity in future major flood events.
WA transport minister Rita Saffioti says replacing the ageing bridge will provide greater certainty during emergency events.
“Completion of the new Brooking Channel Bridge in just nine months is an outstanding achievement, providing certainty to freight operators before the onset of wet season,” she says.
“The resilience of our supply chains, particularly in the Kimberley, is of the utmost importance to our Government.
“The project has built upon the success of the New Fitzroy River Bridge, delivering unprecedented levels of local participation and developing life-changing skills that can be leveraged into the future.”
The project has offered a unique opportunity to provide ongoing employment, traineeships and skills development for many local workers employed on the New Fitzroy River Bridge project and continues to support Fitzroy Valley businesses and suppliers.
In just six months, the New Brooking Channel Bridge project has employed or engaged more than 160 local Aboriginal workers, 42 of whom completed a nationally recognised certification.
The traineeships were tailored to meet both the employment needs of the project as well as the in-demand skills in the Kimberley region and beyond.
Thirty Aboriginal-owned businesses have been engaged on the project, 25 of which are Kimberley-based and 20 are Fitzroy Valley-based.
“The flood events of late 2022 and early 2023 were absolutely devastating, but out of that devastation has been an incredible pipeline of employment and training opportunities for people in the Fitzroy Valley,” says state member for Kimberley Divina D’Anna.
“This project has not only delivered a significant improvement in the resilience of the Great Northern Highway, but it’s also ensured we continue to capitalise on the benefits delivered on the New Fitzroy River Bridge.”
The new 127-metre bridge features two lanes, allowing travel in both directions and can support large loads including road trains and heavy goods vehicles.
A new footpath has also been constructed on the bridge to allow easier access for pedestrians.
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