While the Bega Valley continues to wrestle with the effects of the 2020 bushfires, council has been put under further stress following the severe weather event which has resulted in flood damage across the shire.
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Council said teams were currently assessing closures and damage following the flooding events this week.
Numerous roads have been impacted as well as other infrastructure such as bridges, one of which is the bridge over the Yowaka River on Nethercote Road.
The raging torrent was dangerously close to the top of the bridge at 2pm on Tuesday but as the rain increased later in the day, the torrent was too much and the bridge was ripped away from the adjoining Nethercote Road. It's likely that debris, particularly large tree roots and logs coming down the river may have been the cause of the bridge's demise.
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The road section that was torn away from the bridge had only recently been sealed after council received a grant for the 0.5km section of sealed road that included some sharp bends.
The bridge itself was upgraded in financial year 2017/18. It was a partial replacement and included an upgrade of the existing timber pier and western abutment to a reinforced concrete structure.
The upgrades were considered particularly important as the road forms part of an alternative route in the event of the Princes Highway being closed between Eden and the Nethercote Road intersection on the highway.
Mayor of Bega Valley Shire Russell Fitzpatrick said there was a lot of work ahead of council to assess the damage.
"We have to work out costs and see whether we will be a disaster declared area and what disaster assistance might be available," Cr Fitzpatrick said.
He said that some of the repairs, such as the bridge on Nethercote Road over the Yowaka River, were needed urgently.
There was road damage to sections of the Princes Highway on the northern approach to Eden and also close to Oaklands where a section of the hard shoulder was destroyed as nearby fields flooded and water poured onto the road. Council said that the shire's infrastructure was flood affected in over 40 locations.
