Pedestrian access on one side of Brisbane’s Story Bridge will be restored by the end of the year with work under way to install 1.5km of steel supports.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the city-side footpath would be the first to reopen, with the eastern path to follow in 2026.
“Crews have begun installing more than 1500m of locally sourced steel to build a brand-new support frame for the replacement footpath decking,” Lord Mayor Schrinner said.
“This frame will hold the strong, lightweight decking that will replace the aging footpaths.”
He said the latest expert engineering advice found the footpaths should be replaced in the next two to five years.
“However, out of an abundance of caution, Council made the decision to replace the footpaths now.”
Lord Mayor Schrinner said the custom-made footpath decking would be installed using a temporary special mobile platform that allowed crews to work safely above the river.
“Similar decking was installed on the Cultural Centre boardwalk near the Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Library.”
He said the almost $7 million investment to install the replacement footpath decking was in addition to the nearly $80 million invested in the Story Bridge since 2019.
“This upgrade is part of the long-term restoration plan to keep the 85-year-old in great condition for the future.”
Lord Mayor Schrinner said the $5 million Story Bridge Restoration Business Case would also be completed in 2026.
He said the business case would develop a staged plan to progressively restore the Story Bridge as required over the next 15 to 20 years.
“The Story Bridge is just like every old Queenslander home, you can keep up maintenance by painting and plugging the leaks, but eventually you need to replace the roof and redo the stumps.
“Installing this new decking is a vital step to getting the Story Bridge footpaths open again for Brisbane residents and visitors.
“Our plan is to have one footpath reopened by the end of this year so people can once again choose the Story Bridge as an option if they’re walking or cycling across Brisbane.”
