Cleeland joins Nagambie locals with concerns for Chinaman’s Bridge

By Georgia Tacey

Jun 21, 2023

Save the bridge: John Beresford, Roma Britnell and Annabelle Cleeland joined locals at Chinaman’s Bridge, Nagambie. Photo by Contributed

State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has joined community groups in Nagambie to discuss the state of Chinaman’s Bridge.

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Locals are concerned about the bridge’s structural security, safety and accessibility.

Ms Cleeland was joined by state Member for South-West Coast Roma Britnell, who holds shadow minister positions for ports and freight, and boating and fishing, and said meeting with the community groups was informative.

“Local groups have continued to campaign for progress on the bridge, putting forward reports, assessments and practical solutions to the relevant ministers, but have unfortunately not gotten the response they need,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Safety risks and accessibility issues are having a significant economic impact, with the safety risk potentially impacting tourism and sporting events in the region, so the government must trust treat this matter with the urgency it requires.”

The state of the bridge has been an issue for the Nagambie and Avenel region for some time, with organisations such as Go Nagambie representing the interests of businesses and community members.

The bridge suffered extensive damage during the October 2022 flooding event, with an exclusion zone currently in place on either side of the bridge, preventing river traffic from passing through that section of the river.

Ms Cleeland said an engineer’s report commissioned by the local council found the bridge to be “at risk of imminent collapse” and with uncertainty around the ownership of the bridge, she has encouraged locals to continue to advocate for action.