The long-awaited, much-anticipated opening of the new Stingray Creek Bridge will happen this Saturday from 10am.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and local community groups have organised a morning of entertainment and a pedestrian walk-over before the bridge’s northbound lane opens to traffic at midday.
During February 2017 both lanes are expected to be open, and the old bridge will no longer be accessible. The old bridge will then be demolished, which is expected to take approximately six months.
Parking for the community day is available near Laurieton Oval.
TURN BACK THE CLOCK
From the Camden Haven Courier, May 11 1956 – North Haven’s first resident, Alfred Eames, turned back the pages of time during an interview with the Courier to talk about the history of North Haven. This excerpt focuses on the bridge:
Alfred Eames moved his family to the Camden Haven in 1925 … The Stingray Creek crossing was made on a “pack-horse” punt which was pulled across by hand. It had been installed by teamsters who hauled logs from Green Hills (Bonny Hills) to Limeburners Creek for transportation by the old log punt to Longworth’s Mill in Laurieton.
Disaster struck when the old punt sank and for three years, all supplies and produce had to be rowed across in a boat to Laurieton.
Alfred Eames could visualise some positive move being made to bridge Stingray Creek, following meetings and functions he and others had organised to raise funds for the project. The Shire Council had been approached and had actually obtained a grant from the Minister but did not have sufficient funds to cover the remainder of the cost.
Alfred Eames organised a committee who set to an all-out drive and by the end of the year had accumulated the balance of the money required.
However, another stumbling block appeared when the move to build the bridge was opposed by local councillor, one Robert Longworth, who said he could enumerate other projects more deserving of attention as there was only “these few” people living at North Haven, also a bridge would cut off the path of his log punt which was a lifeline to his business! He then asked if a bridge could be constructed so as to allow the log punt to pass through.
Shire Engineer Booth called on the bridge committee who submitted various plans which were not accepted by the Maritime Services Board as providing sufficient traffic way for the punt. Finally, Mr Eames drew up a rough sketch of an arch bridge, but this was considered too steep and incline from the north side, so to prove his point, Alfred Eames made an exact replica in scale, took it to the councillors and engineer, who agreed such a structure would be practicable. The project was undertaken and officially opened in 1928.
From the Camden Haven Courier, November 3, 1961: The new Stingray Creek Bridge will be officially opened to traffic by the Hon. P.N. Ryan M.L.A, Minister for Public Works on Saturday 4th November at 11am.
The first person to cross the bridge was Mrs Crossingham, senior of Laurieton, whose enthusiasm would not let her wait for completion and she drove her children over the bridge in a buggy before the hand railing had been attached. Cheers went up from all sides and the fine speeches told how the bridge would be “the making” of North Haven.
- Camden Haven Courier, 1956 recalling the 1928 opening
The opening of the new steel and concrete structure which replaces the thirty year old Humpty Back wooden bridge, spanning Stingray Creek between Laurieton and North Haven, adds another link in the proposed coastal road between Port Macquarie and Harrington.
The old wooden bridge was opened by the Hon. W. McKell, then Minister for Local Government some thirty years ago and has served the district ever since. Its unique construction with its steep humpty-back and one way traffic lane has been of great interest to visitors and tourists, as well as a mental hazard for timid motorists.
The Hon. Minister accompanied by the president C/r Harry Warlters and Councillors of the Hastings Shire will make an inspection of the erosion along the foreshores of North Haven.
Following the opening of the bridge the President and Councillors will entertain the Hon. Minister at an official function at the North Haven Bowling Club.
REPAIR OR REPLACE?
The council identified Stingray Creek Bridge was “dilapidated”, according to a report into future options for the bridge by Maunsell/AECOM.
An 18-tonne load limit for all vehicles using the bridge was established and work to make the bridge safe was carried out while planning began to replace the bridge.
In 2002 council commissioned consultants to assess the feasibility of future options. Seven options were considered from a full bypass of North Haven to repairing the existing bridge.
In June and September community consultation meetings took place. Option 2 – the replacement of the bridge downstream of the existing structure – was the preferred solution. In August 2002 then state roads minister Carl Scully, state MP Rob Oakeshott announced the state government could fund half of the replacement cost of the bridge (estimated total cost of $6.4 million).
The development application and environmental impact statement was submitted in November 2005 and was on public exhibition until the end of January 2006. Community submissions totalled 275.
Some residents of North Haven formed the Save North Haven Steering Committee to protest the construction of the new bridge. Their concern was that through traffic would increase, the introduction of heavy traffic would endanger residents and amenity would be lost.
In January 2006 the council resolved to meet with the National Parks and Wildlife Service seeking their opinion on the feasibility of a bypass road through Queens Lake Nature Reserve.
In March 2006 the council resolved to defer the DA for the replacement bridge pending further evaluation.
In February 2007 MP Rob Oakeshott asked the council to clarify their strategy for Stingray Creek Bridge as the community entered the third year of state funds sitting “in the bank”. to replace the bridge.
Despite more than 12 months of silence the council said the bridge had not been forgotten, but were working towards the best option.
In July 2007 public consultation began again. Around 400 residents re-evaluated six options.
By September 2007 a preferred option was recommended to the council: Option 3 immediately upstream. The option also relied on future upgrades of Ocean drive through North Haven which included traffic calming measures.
After the councillors were dismissed early 2008, newly appointed administrator Dick Persson re-investigated bridge options, with a view to keeping the load limit on a newly-constructed bridge. Further community consultation was conducted in November that year and again in September 2009 following questions from the state government on the EIS.
In June 2010 the Joint Regional Planning Panel approved the construction of the new bridge. The NSW Government, through then MP Peter Besseling, pledged to honour its 2002 commitment to contribute $3.2 million to the construction cost, now estimated at $13 million. Mr Besseling also sought financial assistance from the government to cover the funding shortfall.
By December 2010, more than 10 years after it was recommended the bridge be replaced, Mr Besseling secured a further $2.8 million from the NSW Government’s roads minister David Borger, to bring back the 50:50 funding commitment with the council.
Meanwhile the National Party’s then leader Andrew Stoner and then candidate Leslie Williams labelled the funding “an outrage”, claiming the funding would be taken from other local roads projects.
Design work began on the new bridge in August 2011 with the aim for the project to be shovel-ready early 2012. In February the council applied to the state government for funding under the Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme, which provided interest subsidies on loans for infrastructure projects.
MP Leslie Williams supported the move. This still left a funding shortfall of $9 million.
In July 2012 the council received an interest subsidy of $8.6 million from the government, meaning the government would pay the first four per cent interest on a loan to fund the bridge. The total estimated cost of the new bridge was $14.6 million.
With the election of a new group of councillors towards the end of 2012, the council opened up the idea of major repairs to Stingray Creek Bridge instead of replacement.
It was estimated, in February 2013, the repair option would extend the bridge life by a further 20 years and cost between two and three million dollars, compared to the then $16 million replacement cost, and potentially prevent council entering into a loan to fund the remainder of the cost of construction.
The state government refused permission to fund a repair of the bridge, stating that their funding, which was 50 per cent of the total cost (including the low interest subsidy offer) was only to be used for a new bridge without a load limit.
By June 2014, the state government issued a “use it or lose it” threat to Port Macquarie-Hastings Council over their apparent lack of action on the construction of the new bridge. The council stated that state government departments were behind the delay requiring further geotechnical investigations, service relocations and an Aboriginal land claim awaiting action.
In December 2014, Roads Minister Duncan Gay announced extended funding for the new Stingray Creek bridge, to the tune of $8.4 million. The state government will contribute $16.4 million to the new bridge, the council $8.6 million.
Mid 2015, Smithbridge (which later became Waterway) was awarded the tender to build the new bridge which will be opened on December 10, 2016.
From December 10, the new bridge will be open to north bound traffic only, before being fully opened in January 2017.
Demolition of the old bridge will take place over six months.