Umbango Creek Bridge on Humula Road is a critical piece of infrastructure for the residents of Humula and surrounding districts.

The 90-metre long, steel and concrete bridge was originally constructed in the late 1970s by Kyeamba Shire Council.

The approaches to the bridge were repaired by Council in 2012 after being eroded and damaged during the flooding in March of that year.

Council has been monitoring significant structural deficiencies in the bridge over the last few years and has been working with engineering consultants to develop appropriate remediation solutions.

We will be implementing repairs and strengthening to the bridge over the next few months being very mindful of the significance of the bridge for access to the people of Humula and surrounding properties.

Council will work to minimise further disruption to the users of the bridge as it implements a temporary support mechanism in mid-2026, before undertaking the full repair and strengthening program in 2027.

Since discovering signs of significant structural compromise, Council has been working with engineering consultants to determine the cause of the failure and to develop long-term solutions to refurbish and repair the bridge and return it to full functionality.

To minimise further damage to the structure and to keep everyone safe during investigations into the extent of the deficiencies, Council has restricted traffic flow to one lane, installed a give-way sign to regulate traffic, and has also reduced the speed limit to 20km per hour. The existing load limit has remained the same.

Council is working to ensure the bridge can be repaired and does not need to be replaced.

It is estimated that repairing the bridge would cost between $500,000 and $1 million and involve intermittent bridge closures for approximately six months.

Replacing the bridge would cost an estimated $12 million and would result in full bridge closure with detours in place for approximately six months.