WORK on the Warrock Road bridge at Roseneath is expected to begin today, with residents issued with a works update, two days after last week’s Casterton News published news of their impatience with the stalled project.

Warrock Road residents, Robert Simson, Clancy Burn and Tim and Alex Currie all spoke of their exasperation with constant issues with the project, after the bridge was first damaged by farm machinery in 2018.

Mrs Currie said after temporary barriers had been in place of the damaged infrastructure for four years, Glenelg Shire Council gave residents “just a couple of days’ notice” in mid-2022, that rehabilitation of the bridge was about to begin.

“At that time, we had four trucks a week coming over the bridge bringing grain … the trucks can’t go the other way, the B-doubles can’t get through (a steep and winding access point),” Mrs Currie told CN last week.

“When we complained, they said they’d do it earlier in (2023) so it wouldn’t impact animal health and our ability to feed and it would be better for them to do it in Summer … for drying the concrete.”

The project did start in January, this year, with a completion date of 10 March given, but after scaffolding and other infrastructure was put in place and some work done, blocking one of only two exits from the Warrock Road - the shortest route for most, into Casterton - the project appeared to come to a grinding halt.

All residents said attempts had been made to contact Glenelg Shire Council for an update on the project and to air their grievances over the delays, only to be told “next week” or that someone would get back to them, with no further response received.

The day after last week’s CN story, a Glenelg Shire Council spokesman issued a statement, advising of “some contractual matters that had to be resolved, which caused some delays to the project”.

“The project is now back on track, and we expect works to commence Wednesday, 24 May 2023 and to be completed in the following weeks,” he said.

On Friday, a letter was hand-delivered to both the Currie and Burn residences, addressed to ‘The Occupant, Warrock Road’ and signed by the shire’s works manager, Adam Currie.

The letter contained an apology for any inconvenience the works delays had caused, also nominating Wednesday, 24 May as the date that “contractors will recommence works” with the “extent of works to be completed in the coming weeks”.

“Glenelg Shire Council will continue to work with the contractors to ensure there is no more impact to residents,” the letter stated.

Ms Burn contacted CN upon receipt of her letter and said while she was pleased with the news, still had questions about the timeline for the project.

“When they say ‘coming weeks’, is that weeks, as in two weeks, three weeks, 10 weeks?” she said.

The Warrock Road connects the Casterton-Apsley and Casterton-Edenhope Roads, about 25 kilometres north of Casterton.

The bridge is less located less than 50 metres from the Casterton-Apsley Road intersection; the Warrock Road does not intersect with any other roads, so residents living along the road rely on those two main roads for access to everything, from work, to school, medical and groceries.

While residents have proceeded with care on the bridge due to the damage and temporary fixes for the past five years, the closure in January saw up to 20 kilometres added to a round-trip to Casterton for some families, while children were negotiating a climb through the scaffolding to cross the bridge by foot, in order to meet a school bus which only travelled along the blocked-off Casterton-Apsley Road. See next week’s CN for an update on how the road works are progressing.