Tamworth Regional Council wants to build a bridge to fix 'unsafe' Burgmanns Lane causeway

Tamworth Regional Council wants to construct a brand new crossing over Goonoo Goonoo Creek at Burgmanns Lane in Kingswood, but it needs the government to pitch in to fund the project.

The road has been closed since May, when heavy rain damaged the causeway, but its poor condition has upset locals who have been advocating for repairs, for years.

Horse owner and breeder Errol Leicht has lived on a Burgmanns Lane property for 20 years, and said while the bridge would be welcomed, the road itself needs urgent repairs.

"We can't use that causeway to go to the chemist shop, or the doctor or the service station on top of the hill at AELEC, we have to go the long way around," he said.

"But the road is worse, the road is terrible.

"There's a pothole at the front of our place that would be in excess of a metre and a half wide and it's about 300 millimetres deep."

Large potholes and a troublesome crossing have now made the road completely impassable, council said.

"The causeway on Burgmanns Lane is an ageing piece of infrastructure that has recently failed, with persistent wet weather in recent years having made repairing the causeway difficult, as Goonoo Goonoo Creek has been flowing continuously," a spokesperson said.

"Some recent fractures in the concrete have resulted in the causeway becoming unsafe, leading to the temporary closure of Burgmanns Lane.

"Council is currently pursuing funding opportunities, as construction of the bridge will require assistance from other levels of government."

Council staff are undertaking temporary repairs, which will see precast concrete slabs lifted on top of the exiting causeway.

That work is expected to be complete by early next week, when the road should be reopened, a spokesperson said.

Mr Leicht said he hopes a long term solution can be found for not only residents, but other users of the road, many of whom are unaware it's even closed, due to a lack of signage.

"A large amount of people get down to the causeway and find that the causeway is closed with gates, and end up using the road twice because they're going down and then coming back," he said.

He urged the council to not "wait until there's a fatality, and be proactive rather than reactive".

"Where they've upgraded the road, and last time they put the gravel on, the edges of the road are 400 ml below the road surface, so if two cars pass each other, one's going to finish up in a ditch and roll over," he said.

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said he looks forward to supporting council's funding application "for the benefit of the local community and the many residents who use that road on a regular basis".

"I think it's great news that council are actively pursuing funding for Burgmanns Lane," he said.

"Burgmanns Lane is a local road and therefore falls under the responsibility of council."

Alternative access through Calala Lane is still available for all affected properties.

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