Cuttagee Bridge: a dark day for democracy - The Triangle Community Newspaper

On 12 November, Bega Valley Shire Councillors Allen, Fitzpatrick, Nadin, Noble and Porter voted to replace Cuttagee Bridge with a two-lane concrete structure. Since Council said it intended to replace the bridge in 2021, there has been strong community support for a single-lane structure that reflects its heritage and aesthetic values and considers its fragile coastal environment.

Council dismissed a petition of 14,900 signatures because not all signatories were local. It then dismissed the results of its two most recent surveys showing around 70% supported a one-lane heritage outcome and 52% supported the one-lane design option because they reflected ‘locals with strong personal views and motivations’, not the sentiment of the broader shire.

Only 28% of respondents supported the two-lane concrete option. More than 60% said it didn’t reflect the local area’s character. The existing bridge calms traffic. The new one will likely have an 80 km speed limit with no load limit. It is a busy pedestrian area during school holidays without footpaths or safe access to the beach. The single-lane option would still have allowed emergency vehicles to pass other traffic.

In 2023, NSW Labor made a $15 million election commitment to restore the bridge to uphold its heritage value and community wishes. NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison welcomed news of Council’s decision after an ‘extraordinarily long time’ but was disappointed the bridge’s heritage values were not reflected. Member for Bega Dr Michael Holland said Council had already spent $2 million.

The cost of the concrete bridge is estimated to be $29.1 million, $2.4 million more than the single-lane option and more than double the $13.3 million spent restoring Wallaga Lake Bridge.

Council expects it will take 12 months to build the bridge, with completion due in mid-2027. Construction cannot begin until the $14 million shortfall is funded. Will a nine-metre wide bridge in this constrained area receive environmental approval? For context, Bermagui River Bridge is only eight metres wide.

Phil Coates

Photo: Cuttagee Bridge from the air. Photo credit: David Rogers

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The Triangle is a community paper, principally for the region bounded by the three prominent mountains: Peak Alone, Gulaga and Mumbulla. It is produced on the traditional lands of the Yuin nation and we acknowledge that this was and will always be Yuin Country. We are grateful for their thousands of years of careful and deliberate stewardship of Country and pay our respects to Yuin Elders past, present and emerging.

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