WARROCK Road residents are furious that the promised re-start date for rehabilitation works on the bridge crossing the Glenelg River at Roseneath, came and passed without a single minute of work logged on the project.

Despite written notice from Glenelg Shire Council that the stalled works would re-start on Wednesday, May 24, neither the contractor responsible for the project, nor Shire representatives were on-site on that day.

The Shire was not even aware the work had not started, until the editor of the Casterton News made a phone call to the Shire’s works manager on that day.

Originally damaged in 2018, temporary barriers and caution signs were in place at the bridge until January this year and Warrock Rd residents, Robert Simson, Clancy Burn and Tim and Alex Currie, vented their exasperation last week with constant issues plaguing proper repair works to the bridge.

Mrs Currie said Glenelg Shire 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 Casterton News 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 March 10 given, but after scaffolding and other infrastructure were put in place, blocking traffic from crossing the bridge, the project came 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 a story about the delayed works appeared in the Casterton News (May 17, 2023), a Glenelg Shire 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.

Last Friday, May 19, 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, confirming May 24 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 visited the bridge on Wednesday morning and said she was “annoyed … not surprised” to find no workers at the site and no apparent progress on rehabilitation works.

“Someone’s moved some of the barriers, that’s about it,” she said.

“You’d think (the Shire) would have someone out here making sure (the contractor) had started … it’s just a joke.”

The Casterton News editor spoke to Mr Currie after meeting with Ms Burn; Mr Currie indicated he was not aware work had not begun and he issued a written statement the following day.

“The Roseneath Bridge works were due to re-commence 24 May, 2023,” Mr Currie said.

“Council staff had scheduled a site inspection and visit for 25 May, 2023 following the first full day of works.

“The contractor has advised that they had incorrectly informed Council of their re-start date, due to their own internal error.

“Works will now re-commence 29 May 2023.

“We appreciate the frustrations of the community and Council officers are meeting again with the contractor to discuss these concerns and the impact on project timelines.”

Warrock Road is located around 25 kilometres north of Casterton, with terminating intersections at each end with Casterton-Apsley Rd and Casterton-Edenhope Rd; residents living along the road rely on those two intersections for access to everything, from work, to school, medical and groceries.

The bridge is located at Roseneath, less than 50 metres from the Casterton-Apsley Rd intersection, its closure in January cutting off one of those access points to traffic and adding up to 50 kilometres to a round-trip to Casterton for some families, while children were negotiating a walk 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 Rd.

See next Wednesday’s Casterton News for an update on how the road works are progressing.