Elsie Lange
Ross Cornell from Malmsbury was surprised when he received a letter notifying him that due to an administrative error, Macedon Ranges council hadn’t previously let him know the bluestone bridge on his street would be temporarily closed for months.
The safety of the Ross Street bluestone bridge was something he’d been vocal about for a couple of years, so its sudden closure in September was disappointing.
Now, he and other residents on the street are forced to drive almost the entire way around the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre to get to the main road, Mollison Street.
“They just closed the bridge, despite the fact that we didn’t get the letter and we had no opportunity for consultation [with the council],” Mr Cornell said.
He said the alternative road around the centre was “totally inadequate” until it was fixed up a couple of weeks ago, and during the flooding and rains in October, people had felt unsafe.
At a council meeting on October 26, Mr Cornell and fellow residents Tony Trevan and Andrea Perham questioned the series of events which led to the sudden bridge closure.
“Residents frustrated by the lack of funding and action on this unsafe bridge in the past want to know why funding wasn’t allocated for the bridge in the 2022-23 budget,” Mr Cornell said.
Council said there had been no allocated funding in the 2022-23 budget submissions because at the time of budget submission, officers were investigating the structural integrity and safety of the structure.
“At that time council officers were unaware that the recommendation was going to be to close the bridge and did not have potential bridge repair [or] upgrade options and associated costs to provide a budget submission for council’s consideration.”
Council advised the bridge would be closed for 12 to 18 months while works were completed, and while funding was allocated in the 2020-21 budget for works, it had been postponed because residents had been concerned about protecting the bluestone structure.
Mr Cornell said after years of campaigning, he now felt a sense of “distrust”.
“Other residents are a lot more angry than I am. I’m just disappointed in the shire for their inaction,” he said.
