The effects of the epic flooding that has hit Western Australia will be felt long after the waters have receded … and it’s not yet known just how badly it will impact Big Laps over the next few months.
Western Australia’s Premier Mark McGowan has described the infrastructure damage caused by flooding in the Kimberley region as ‘extraordinary’.
The ABC reports that the Fitzroy River bridge, the only sealed road linking Broome with the rest of the Kimberley and Northern Territory, has been almost completely destroyed.
“The bridge will have to be rebuilt, and any work can’t commence until after the wet season,” Mr McGowan said. “This is a massive logistical exercise and will take a long period of time.”
The flooding has affected many roads in WA. PIC: Main Roads WA
The Premier compared the bridge damage to a having had a bomb go off, and said it could well take years to sort out.
According to the ABC, an alternate crossing at Fitzroy Crossing – an old floodway – is unlikely to be assessed and activated until the waters recede and the wet season ends, due to the possibility of further floods and weather events.
Meanwhile, Mains Rod WA reports that the Great Northern Highway (GNH) remains closed between Sandfire Roadhouse and Halls Creek due to flooding.
The ABC reports that Main Roads was inspecting and repairing key roads and aimed to open Great Northern Highway between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing on Thursday.
It was unclear when badly damaged sections of road around Willare and Fitzroy Crossing would be repaired.
As authorities assess how to fix roads and bridges, the economic and logistical impact on the region has been likened to the ‘Sydney Harbour Bridge collapsing’.
9News reports that the time it takes to repair key roads in and out of the Kimberley could have a huge impact on tourism.
Some Kununurra caravan parks have apparently already been hit with cancellations for the Easter holidays.
“It’s a long alternative way, it’s an extra 2000-kilometre on the trip,” Ivanhoe Caravan Park owner Greg Thompson told 9News. “And with fuel prices and time it’s going to have an impact,”
And there’s the freight issue, as well.
Truck drivers told the ABC that they would now have to complete a 6,000-kilometre one-way journey via South Australia and the Northern Territory to move freight from Perth into the East Kimberley.
Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said the route would be in place for some time — an expensive journey considering the price of fuel.
“If you look at the state of the [Fitzroy River] bridge, and in particular, the amount of road damage up there, this is not going to be a short-term fix,” he said.
Going back a year or so we decided WA was off limit’s so why all the attention to WA. There are other states in need attention also