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Donnybrook-Balingup shire to spend $540,000 in wake of single-access bridge fire

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Sean Van Der WielenSouth Western Times
The Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup has approved $540,000 in spending related to the Irishtown Road bridge fire.
Camera IconThe Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup has approved $540,000 in spending related to the Irishtown Road bridge fire. Credit: Supplied/7 News Regional WA/RegionalHUB

It will cost the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup $540,000 to help fix a bridge and create an alternative route to part of the community which was isolated when a single-access crossing was damaged by fire.

Irishtown Road bridge was deemed too dangerous to use after the early morning fire on October 2. It left residents cut off with the bridge being their main route into town.

At a special council meeting held earlier this month, councillors voted unanimously to spend $540,000 to fix the associated issues, with $340,000 to go towards upgrading Kelly Road, Fowler and Hamilton streets to provide an alternative access route.

The remaining funds will go to designing, approving and project managing the bridge’s repairs.

It is expected to be at least five months before the bridge is operational, but the works to improve driver access to and from the Irishtown area are already under way.

After questioning from Cr Grant Patrick, former temporary chief executive Tim Clynch told the meeting the shire was “optimistic” compensation would come from the council’s insurer.

“All the feedback from the insurer to date has been positive, but you don’t know until it’s assessed and there’s a formal response,” he said.

Mr Clynch said there were other options for the council if that was unsuccessful, including potentially requesting Federal Government Roads to Recovery funding be received earlier than anticipated.

Cr Deanna Shand backed the spending to support residents.

“Obviously things happen and we’re in a situation where we have to respond to the community that is affected and hope that the insurances that we pay that everything comes off the way that it should,” she said.

Shire president Vivienne MacCarthy said the funding would fast-track the council’s response and said Donnybrook police confirmed the source of the fire was not suspicious.

“While the closure of the bridge was necessary due to the damage, it has nonetheless caused a great deal of inconvenience to the residents and businesses in Irishtown,” she said.

“It is likely the bridge damage occurred as a result of a camp fire that was insufficiently extinguished, and due to the weather conditions at the time, wind caused it to spread and reignite,” she said.

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