The Story Bridge footpaths have been closed since 5 March 2025, when they were shut down ahead of Ex-cyclone Alfred. That was over a month ago—and they’re still closed. Since then, Council has offered no timeline, no transparency, and no real explanation—just vague claims about “damage” and “ongoing investigations.”
Here’s what I’ve uncovered.
Disaster recovery funds from State and Federal governments are broken down into four categories. Two of those categories include pre-approved payments, and one of them can cover repairs to critical active transport infrastructure—like these footpaths.
We also know that the LNP-led Council has already mishandled the $80 million Story Bridge restoration. They’ve burned through funding and even received another $4.3 million from the Federal Government just to develop yet another business case for the same project.
Let’s call this what it is: a cost-shifting exercise. Instead of owning up and being upfront with residents, Council appears to be trying to claw back costs through disaster recovery funds—while completely neglecting the 6,000+ daily users who rely on this vital link.
People are being forced into lengthy, unsafe detours. Residents on both sides of the bridge are left in the dark. This isn’t just poor planning—it’s a failure of leadership.
At the time of writing it appears that the footpaths will remain closed for some time. So I have written to the Council Chairs for Transport and Infrastructure requesting that a more suitable detour be put in place.
Building on calls from the community, I have suggested that Council temporarily reallocate one vehicle lane to active transport, with a protective barrier, to provide a safe and time-efficient detour. A similar setup was successfully implemented along Coronation Drive following the 2022 flood event that closed the Bicentennial Bikeway.
You can read my letter in full here.