Bega Valley Shire councillors were heckled from the public gallery after a decision on the design of a replacement for the historic timber lined Cuttagee Bridge.
A community campaign has been waged for many years to see the new crossing across Cuttagee Lake maintained as a single lane timber structure.
Last minute impassioned pleas from several community members and councillors failed to convince the majority of the councillors, who after a few hours of discussion voted 5-4 in favour of Option 3, which is a two-lane concrete structure with concrete footpath.
Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick said he understands there are ratepayers who are passionate about the issue.
“People have a position on it other than what’s come out. I fully understand that but we went through the democratic process and that’s how it ended up with a vote of 5-4,” he said.
Labor Councillor Helen O’Neil told the meeting not adopting Option 1 for a like for like style replacement would fail the community.
“If the community after one of the best designed community engagements sessions I’ve seen, one that by the way Badgerys Creek Airport went through, that’s the quality of that went through, the result is so clear,” she said.
“Why would we not follow our community when we know this option is safe?
“It costs less. It’s safer. It’s cheaper. It’s what we want!”
But councillor David Porter told the meeting building another one lane crossing could make the current situation worse.
“If we build Option1 now as a stress bridge and a serious accident occurs we could likely be forced to build a separate five metre wide bridge right beside it because the State Government instructs us to make it safe;” he said.
“That secondary bridge would carve into the environment, cost as much as the original bridge and leave us with a monolithic structure.”
