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A Western Australian bridge destroyed by once-in-a-century flooding could take more than a year to rebuild, the state’s emergency services minister says.
The roadway over the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region is the state’s only sealed roadway to the north., said there was significant damage to the bridge at Fitzroy Crossing and the Great Northern Highway. Engineers and divers are expected to start inspecting the structure in the coming days to determine what can be salvaged and how much work will be required before the transport link can reopen.That will give us [an] indication [of] how many months or indeed years [it will take] to build that bridge back up again. Early indications are that that work will take a significant amount of time.
In the meantime, road trains with freight for Kununurra and the Northern Territory have been diverted from southern WA in South Australia to travel up the Stuart Highway through central Australia. A barge is also transporting essential goods from Perth Hedland to Broome, with authorities saying an airlift and boats might be the only way to reach some communities until the roadway is repaired.
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