COMMUNITY concerns over a major upgrade of the Stewart Road Bridge at Kernot have been steamrolled as Bass Coast Council seeks funding to build a replacement bridge with a 44-tonne load limit.
A petition earlier this year from local residents called for the urgent repair and reopening of the Kernot Bridge after it was closed due to structural issues.
Despite acknowledging the considerable inconvenience caused to local residents, farmers, and businesses, the bridge still remains closed as Bass Coast Shire Council waits on an application for funding to the Federal Government.
According to local residents, the detour has added unnecessary time, fuel costs, and disruption for those who rely on the bridge, particularly, for commuting to work, transporting goods and accessing essential services.
Federal Member for Monash Mary Aldred MP said the delay in completing repairs and getting the bridge reopened was having an unacceptable impact on local residents.
“I’m particularly concerned to hear about emergency services being delayed in accessing local properties in an urgent situation.
“Recently I met with local farmers at the Kernot General Store to hear their concerns first-hand and have since written to the Federal Infrastructure Minister outlining the urgency of getting this fixed,” Ms Aldred said.
Bass Coast Council stated it remained strongly committed to securing a favourable funding outcome and was preparing to move forward as soon as possible.
“The CEO and Mayor recently met with the Office of Minister Catherine King in Canberra to discuss the (funding) application, reinforce the critical impacts of the bridge closure on the community, and to seek advice on when a funding response might be expected.”
Council said it had been working through necessary planning and approvals to ensure the project was ready to progress quickly as soon as funding was confirmed.
“We understand how important this project is for our community and emergency services, particularly after the extended bridge closure. Council is planning and preparing now so that we can move forward as soon as funding is secured.
“Our infrastructure team has advised that we are targeting early 2026 for commencing construction of the works, subject to funding confirmation and contractor availability.”
According to Bass Coast Council, recent activity at the bridge site was part of the design process and preparatory assessments, not the commencement of reconstruction.
A number of repair and upgrade options were considered, but council officers determined that only two were feasible. The first option was to repair the bridge to a five-tonne load rating with a 20+ year service life; the second option was to upgrade the bridge to a standard Victorian road load rating of 44-tonne with a 50+ year service life.
The second option was considered best for managing ongoing overloading issues and providing the least disruption to the community in the long term. Other options included repairing the bridge to a 12-tonne load rating with varying service lives or building a new dual lane bridge in an adjacent location.
The dual lane bridge option was dismissed due to its high cost, lack of strategic justification and the community’s desire to maintain the route as a local road.
The proposed design ensures no changes to the alignment or number of lanes and retains much of the existing structure to honour the historical nature of the bridge.
Kernot landholders agreed a five-tonne limit was not an option as the CFA 12-tonne fire truck stationed in Kernot was well over the five-tonne limit. With the bridge closed, the CFA is now forced to travel double the distance to fight a fire in The Gurdies Woodlands.
Residents fear this could lead to catastrophic consequences.
