Councillor hosts meeting on Tooway Lake bridge plans

Sunshine Coast Councillor Tim Dwyer will host a public meeting this month to outline council's plans to replace Tooway Bridge at Moffat Beach.

Councillor Dwyer said the meeting -- from 6pm to 7pm on 22 July at The Events Centre, Caloundra -- is an important part of ongoing community consultation around the project.

"The bridge must be replaced as the old structure is showing its age and our engineers have identified major structural issues," Cr Dwyer said.

"The start date is yet to be confirmed as it depends on a range of factors including final design, geotechnical test results and the granting of permits by the State Government.

"The replacement last year of strengthening girders was a temporary measure which will keep the bridge safe, under its current load limits, until work can start."

The bridge replacement is expected to take about 12 weeks, weather permitting. Council is investigating the possibility of keeping one lane and pedestrian/cycle access open during the project, with only a few days of total closure at key construction stages.

Cr Dwyer said that with more than 17,000 vehicles using the bridge each day and a number of businesses in the immediate area, community engagement will remain at the forefront of the planning process.

"The replacement work will have a significant effect on traffic between our eastern beaches and central Caloundra. Local businesses are also very important stakeholders in this process. Council is working hard to minimise the inconvenience to our community and to those businesses while the new bridge is built.

"This meeting is part of that process and I'd encourage all interested people to attend."

Council engineers will also attend the meeting. For more information, contact Cr Dwyer's office on 5420 8965.