KERNOT farmers have warned Bass Coast Council of serious safety concerns over a plan to upgrade the Kernot Bridge on Stewart Road from its original 20-tonne load limit to 43 tonnes.
The Kernot Bridge over the Bass River has been closed for months since an articulated tanker lost control on the approach to the bridge causing the trailer to jackknife.
A petition containing 476 signatures was received by Bass Coast Council this month calling on the shire to urgently prioritise the repair and reopening of Kernot Bridge.
“The bolts on the bridge have been sheared off because of overweight vehicles going over the bridge,” claimed landholder Janice Orchard.
Local farmers said the bridge’s closure is having a significant impact on daily life, transport logistics, and access to essential services.
“Closure of the bridge adds an extra seven kilometres and 10 to 15 minutes travelling time on a round trip,” said Ms Orchard.
Manager of the Kernot Store Leanne Hayes said she had noticed an increase in last minute cancellations of table bookings since the Kernot Bridge was closed.
“Stewart Road is the main access road to the Kernot Store,” said Ms Hayes.
While welcoming Council’s commitment to rebuilding the bridge local residents, farmers and landholders are unclear why such a significant upgrade was being pursued when Stewart Road itself was not suitable for high-mass vehicles.
Meeting with local residents at the Kernot Store, Bass Coast councillors Cr Jan Thompson and Cr Meg Edwards acknowledged the concerns of locals over the safety of the bridge and the need to get traffic moving again.
Sympathising with local residents over the delay in re-opening the bridge and the time taken to traverse around Stewart Road, Cr Thompson said there was no easy solution.
Rob Parsons said the very real risk posed by large vehicles on this narrow, rural route was clearly demonstrated when the articulated tanker jack-knifed.
“We don’t want trucks coming down this road,” said Mr Parsons.
Upgrading the bridge to 43-tonne capacity would significantly increase the cost of designing and constructing a replacement bridge, and delay access to Stewart Road at a time when funding was already uncertain.
Local CFA volunteers have expressed deep concern about upgrading the bridge to heavy load capacity warning of the potential danger of encountering large B-double and articulated trucks while responding to emergency callouts.
“Stewart Road is not designed for such vehicles,” said Mr Parsons.
The prospect of navigating around heavy transports on a narrow road during the fire season or medical emergencies puts both emergency crews and the public at risk.
Residents told Cr Thompson and Cr Edwards that if council proceeds with a 43-tonne upgrade to the bridge it must also consider the significant cost and works required to widen, strengthen, and upgrade Stewart Road particularly the sharp bend leading onto the bridge.
Local residents were particularly troubled by engineering work that was proceeding without genuine consultation and apparently against the express wishes of the local community.
Locals claim alternate routes already exist for large heavy vehicles via Loch-Kernot Road and Nyora - St Helier Road which were more appropriate for that purpose.
Replacing the Stewart Road Bridge at Kernot has been estimated to cost $2 million.
Locals want the design process paused pending proper community consultation and have suggested a bar over the bridge to stop high tonnage vehicles continuing through.
“An upgraded bridge would require realignment of Stewart Road,” they said.
“We don’t want a Westgate Bridge.
“We want to ensure that restoring local connectivity as soon as possible, is not lost in the pursuit of an over-engineered solution.
“Every delay, every added cost, and every unconsulted change undermines that goal.”
