WORKING ON A PLAN: Shoalhaven City Council staff members Peter Tyrrell and Northern Shoalhaven Maintenance Engineer Ed Braddick inspect the Parma Creek Bridge in January.
THE Falls Creek community will seek answers about the future of the Parma Creek Bridge at meeting on Wednesday called by the local Parents and Citizens Association.
Shoalhaven mayor Joanna Gash and fellow councillors have been invited to attend.
The meeting will be held at the Falls Creek School hall, starting at 7pm.
Council engineers closed the bridge last month after one of the main support beams on the northern side snapped.
Repairs will start in early March, and could take up to a month to complete.
Director of City Services and Operations Bill Paterson said council staff would be working to ensure minimum disruption to the local community while the bridge was closed.
“Council has previously reduced both the speed and load limits on Parma Creek Bridge in an attempt to prolong the bridge’s lifespan,” said Mr Paterson.
“Disappointingly it appears as though one or more motorists may have broken the load limit and in doing so, caused serious structural damage to the bridge.
“Given the safety concerns, council has decided to immediately close the bridge and undertake urgent maintenance works.”
Meanwhile, many residents had posted comments on Facebook about the state of the bridge.
One post said council should have fixed the bridge before it got so bad, while another stated they loved how council blamed motorists, when it should have acted earlier to prevent the bridge from sagging.
