125 bridges and culverts to dip into heavy vehicle assessment funding

One hundred and twenty-five bridges and culverts across 33 council areas are set to receive Federal Government funded engineering assessments as part of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP).

The bridges and culverts were selected based on whether the locations were on priority freight routes, and would deliver potential improved access for heavy vehicles.

“The Australian Government allocated $12 million in funding to expand the number of local council asset assessments across Australia’s road network through to late 2024, bring our total funding to $20 million for this initiative,” said Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister, Catherine King.

“These assessments can deliver increased benefits for heavy vehicle operators and assist local councils in assessing their assets’ capability.”

Through the SLGAAP, the NHVR connects engineering consultants with local government road managers to deliver the bridge and culvert assessments and engineering reports.

“Derwent Valley Council nominated the Tyenna River crossing to be assessed by the SLGAAP project,” said Mayor of Tasmania’s Derwent Valley Council, Michelle Dracoulis.

“The results of the assessment provided council with certainty that our asset was suitable and safe for larger combination vehicles to access.

“This in turn provided local industry with clarity when planning their project and operational options.”

The information is aimed at supporting councils to better understand their bridge or culverts’ capability and make informed heavy vehicle access decisions as a result.

“Through the SLGAAP, local council bridges and culverts are prioritised based on their likelihood to deliver improved productivity and efficiency outcomes for a heavy vehicle journey from start to finish,” said Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Carol Brown.

“No bridge or culvert is considered in isolation. Rather, they are selected based on if an assessment may unlock access for more classes of vehicles such as A-doubles, to travel more exensively on Australia’s freight network.”

The Australian Government has committed $20 million in total, including $4 million in the current financial year, towards this project to assess bridges and culverts through to late 2024.

A full list of the bridges and culverts is below:

SLGAAP Phase 2 Round 2 councils