The Einasleigh River Bridge is a

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

over the

Einasleigh River The Einasleigh River is a river in Far North Queensland, Australia. When combined with the Gilbert River, the river system is the largest river system in northern Australia. Course and features The Einasleigh River rises in the locality of L ...

on the

Gulf Developmental Road Gulf Developmental Road is an Australian highway linking the Cairns and Normanton regions in northern Queensland, Australia. It is the only sealed (asphalt) road linking these two regions. In the east, the road begins at an unnamed junction o ...

, in the Far North Queensland, Australia, located east of Georgetown and west of Mount Surprise. The bridge is part of the only sealed (

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

) road linking Cairns and Normanton in the Gulf Savannah region. The new high set bridge was constructed to flood-proof the Gulf Country. It replaced an existing low level bridge which was designed for inundation. The old bridge was flooded in every wet season. In 2009 it was under water for 40 days after the biggest flood on record. During flooding of the old Einasleigh River Bridge, most communities across the Gulf Shires were inaccessible by road and the emergency supplies had to be provided by helicopter. The bridge was built by the Etheridge Shire Council and was funded through the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

's Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. It was opened on 20 January 2011 by

Simon Crean Simon Findlay Crean (born 26 February 1949) is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the Member of Parliament for Hotham from 1990 to 2013, representing the Labor Party, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke, Keating, R ...

, the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government.

References

External links

Einasleigh River Bridge Infrastructure Development Presentation
Road bridges in Queensland Bridges completed in 2011 Buildings and structures in Far North Queensland Beam bridges 2011 establishments in Australia Concrete bridges in Australia Viaducts in Australia {{Queensland-struct-stub