Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I went to the last election promising to fix local roads in Ryan, and I'm very pleased to report that the latest project is underway to do just that. Early works have begun in Ashgrove to replace the Gresham Street bridge. Councillor Steven Toomey and I visited the site last week to inspect the work and to speak with the tradies who are already on the ground. This has been a long-awaited project for local residents, particularly those in St Johns Wood, and I appreciate their patience.

It has been federal funding, combined with funding from the Brisbane City Council, that has seen this project finally commence. The bridge was built in 1931 and is now nearing the end of its serviceable life. The new Gresham Street bridge will have increased vehicle weight limits and improved flood resistance—important over the creek—and will provide a wider footpath for pedestrian safety, which is particularly important because it is en route to a local school. Along with improving our local roads, this project, importantly, is creating jobs in the Ryan electorate.

This government is about committing funding to shovel-ready projects to get our economy firing again, and Gresham Street bridge project, to be completed in 2022, is just one example of that. It's also a fantastic example of how LNP governments, at both the council and the federal level, are working together to get long-awaited projects moving. It is because of the federal funding and the funding from the Brisbane City Council that this project has now been delivered for local residents. We are fixing local roads.