Media releases

Wednesday 16th December

Key highway link between NT and WA upgraded

WARREN SNOWDON MP
Member for Lingiari, Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health, & Regional Service Delivery

KARL HAMPTON 
member for Stuart, Minister for Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife

The Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon and the Member for Stuart, Karl Hampton, officially opened a major upgrade of the Victoria Highway today that will help prevent the national road link being closed during wet season flooding.

Mr Snowdon said the Australian Government funded a $50 million upgrade, which has seen the completion of the Victoria River Bridge, and crossings over Joe, Lost and Sandy Creeks as part of the Accelerated Victoria Highway Upgrade package.

Mr Snowdon said the Victoria Highway is a key link in the Perth to Darwin corridor for tourism, defence, mining, cattle and transport industries.

“This project delivered four new higher level bridges and raised 7.5 kilometres of road to make the highway more reliable in the wet season.

“Historically these sections of the road have closed every wet season for on average five days due to flooding, and extreme rainfalls causing the road to close for weeks at a time.

“Now average closure times will be reduced to less than eight hours rather than weeks during extreme rainfall events,” Mr Snowdon said.

The new Victoria River Bridge, located about 200 kilometres south west of Katherine, is 7.5 metres higher and twice the length of the old bridge nearby, and incorporates a pedestrian walkway.

The $50m Victoria Highway Upgrade package includes:

• Raising the Victoria Highway Bridge and Lost Creek Bridge by 7.5 metres

• Replacing the Joe Creek Culvert with a new higher level bridge

• Replacing the Sandy Creek Bridge

• Improving the flood immunity of two low lying sections on the floodplain via major embankment works

• A total of 7.5 kilometres of major roadwork's

Mr Snowdon said Territory company Steelcon Constructions was contracted to build the four new bridges and raise the highway across the Victoria River floodplain.

“At the peak of construction more than 76 people were living and working on site, including 15 Indigenous employees.”

Mr Hampton said a local Aboriginal company was heavily involved in the construction of the bridge.

“Wanimyn Illarn Aboriginal Corporation were contracted for $3.87 million to deliver fill material, employing 10 Indigenous workers.

“A training program was run in Timber Creek prior to commencement of site works which provided 17 locals with 6,200 hours of training,” Mr Hampton said.

An on-site concrete batch plant was established which produced more than 1300 cubic metres of concrete used to build the four new bridges.

The Department of Construction and Infrastructure designed the Joe Creek, Lost Creek and Sandy Creek bridges as well as all the new road sections.

Construction started in April 2008 and took 19 months, finishing two months ahead of schedule in October 2009.

Mr Hampton said the environment was also taken into consideration during construction.

“We established a new cane grass habitat area for the endangered Purple-Crowned Fairy-Wren.

“The Territory Government will continue the habitat rehabilitation work over the next three years by management of feral animals and weeds.”

Media Contact: Alice Plate 04000 45 999 and Edwin Erlund 0401 119 563

Copyright © 2004-5 Warren Snowdon MP. This page was last updated on 18 December 2009.