Council to vote on second bridge spot

Shire of Denmark councillors will decide the location of a second bridge across Denmark River at tonight’s council meeting.

The new bridge is one component of the Denmark East Development Precinct, the construction of a light industrial area near the intersection of McIntosh Road and South Coast Highway.

A council officer recommendation for the new crossing point is option 3B, which would connect to the eastern end of the existing Riverbend Lane.

Shire chief executive Bill Parker said the other option being considered, 3E, was not financially viable.

“Option 3E exceeds the project budget by $2.1 million, falling outside of the acceptable range,” he said.

“Given there was community support for option 3E, we undertook a financial assessment to see if council had the capacity to fund the additional expenditure.

“In the absence of a long-range financial plan and asset management plan, I am unable to recommend to council that an additional $2.1 million is affordable.”

Mr Parker said the implementation of option 3B would need to minimise the impact on residents of Riverbend Lane.

“Whilst I acknowledge that the recommended alignment does not reflect the view of all members of the community, serious consideration was given to all available options, and the community feedback received wholly shaped the investigative process.” he said.