Residents of Brisbane’s western suburbs have a better flood escape route with the replacement of a much-maligned river crossing.
The new Mount Crosby Vehicle Bridge is now open for cars, creating a higher, two-lane bridge across the Brisbane River at the Mount Crosby Weir.
Previously residents had to use a century-old single-lane bridge, accessed through a back road, to move between Ipswich and Brisbane suburbs such as Karana Downs and Mount Crosby during floods.
The main river crossing at Colleges Crossing between the Ipswich suburb of Karalee and the nearby Brisbane suburb of Karana Downs is always one of the first bridges to go underwater after heavy rain or major water releases from Wivenhoe Dam.
When this happens, residents need to cross the river at the Mount Crosby Weir via a back road or do a very long detour through Brisbane to reach neighbouring areas on the other side of the river.
The new bridge is around three metres higher than the existing weir bridge and constructed to better withstand flooding. It is 187 metres long and nine metres wide.
It is part of Seqwater’s East Bank Flood Resilience Program which is pumping more than $100 million into bolstering flood resilience at the Mount Crosby precinct.
Final footpath and landscaping works around the bridge are not due to be completed until mid-April. The new bridge will be handed over to Brisbane City Council to manage and maintain.
The original 97-year-old weir bridge will be converted into a pedestrian and cycleway, due to be completed in 2025.
