Latest news - June 2013

More than 60 people attended two community information sessions in Burrill Lake on 29 May and 3 June to discuss RMS' currently favoured option for the future of Burrill Lake Bridge. The RMS presentation (PDF, 2.7MB) is available to view or download.

RMS' proposal to replace the existing crossing to the east with a new, higher bridge spanning the lake was well received. RMS thanks the community for their attendance and active participation in the workshops.

There were constructive discussions around parking and access arrangements, urban design and local amenity, pedestrian and local road connections, maintaining local connectivity and amenity, and potential noise impacts and mitigation measures.

RMS also distributed 5000 updates to the local community outlining the proposal and following the community information sessions, received feedback via phone and email until 10 June 2013.

The feedback period has now closed. RMS  is currently collating feedback received into an Issues Report which will be publicly available later this year.

Community comments will feed into the RMS planning process and will assist RMS to refine the current early concept design.

RMS will keep the community updated as this process progresses.

RMS' currently favoured option

Based on the investigations to date, RMS currently favours replacing the existing crossing immediately to the east, with a new, higher bridge spanning the lake. The currently favoured option (PDF, 757KB) is available to view or download.

This bridge would use an existing road reserve zoned on Shoalhaven City Council's Local Environment Plan.

Before a final decision can be made on RMS' preferred option, further investigations and consultation with the community will occur.

See the Community Feedback page for more information on how to have your say.

Potential benefits

If selected as the RMS preferred option, a new, higher bridge to the east of the existing crossing would:

• Improve the overall reliability of the Princes Highway on the south coast by reducing future maintenance issues.
• Provide a lake crossing and road approaches designed above the predicted 1 in 100 year flood level.
• Improve road safety by providing new intersections to modern safety standards connecting the Princes Highway to local roads.
• Provide the opportunity to improve pedestrian and cyclist access and safety.

Options considered

RMS considered options to maintain the existing bridge or to replace the bridge and causeway to the east or west.

Maintenance options meant the causeway and existing flooding problems on the highway would remain.

Options to the west of the existing highway and bridge were considered to have unacceptably high social impacts and costs, as they would have involved the direct removal of numerous homes and businesses on both sides of the crossing.

The options considered are documented in the Strategic Concept and Options Study Report (PDF, 3.29MB) and Value Management Workshop Report (PDF, 7MB).

Investigations

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has been investigating options for the future of the crossing of Burrill Lake on the Princes Highway south of Ulladulla.

The crossing is made up of a causeway 150 metres long and a bridge 55 metres long.

The bridge was built in the 1950s and is experiencing a weakening of the concrete columns that support it.

The bridge is also one of the most low-lying bridges on the Princes Highway and is flood prone.
The investigations to date have included:

• Flood and hydraulic modelling of the bridge, causeway and lake.
• Flora, fauna, archaeology, noise, traffic and safety studies in the area around the existing bridge and highway approaches.
• Building a picture of the local community that includes business, tourism, social, pedestrian and other community considerations.
• Bridge and road engineering investigations.
• Surveying the existing bridge, highway approaches and landforms.
• Drilling to obtain geotechnical information about ground conditions around the bridge and highway approaches.

The report into Preliminary Environmental Investigations is now available.

Value management workshop

A value management process was undertaken as part of the considerations into the future of the Burrill Lake crossing. This is part of the RMS' process to recommend a preferred option, along with considering the feedback from consultations during 2012, other investigations and internal deliberations.

The value management process involves considering potential options from a wide range of perspectives. It includes evaluating the options against agreed and weighted criteria to determine which option is likely to provide a balance across social, economic, environmental and functional issues while also taking cost into consideration.

The value management workshop was held on Thursday 7 December 2012.

The main outcome of the workshop was that participants recommended a new bridge spanning the lake on a new alignment for further consideration. A number of different options for the existing bridge and causeway were also recommended for further investigation.

A new bridge on a new alignment was assessed as the best performing option. The value management workshop recommendations are not a final decision but provide direction for RMS to focus its further investigations.

The workshop was attended by an independent facilitator, representatives from Shoalhaven City Council, NSW Department of Primary Industries (fisheries), Maritime Operations, a member of the Milton Ulladulla Lions club, RMS representatives and technical advisors.

Previous Investigations

In 2010 RMS undertook a high level review of the various engineering options available for the future of Burrill Lake bridge. This is documented in the Strategic Concept and Options Study Burrill Lake Bridge report.

While this report provides valuable background, RMS recognises there are other factors besides engineering, including issues for residents, business operators and motorists, which need to be considered before a plan for the future of the bridge is decided upon.