COMPLETION of the Scott Street bridge in Helena Valley has been delayed again, with construction estimated to be finished by late February.

According to a Main Roads spokesperson the most recent delay in the construction of the upgraded bridge is the result of vehicle bans in the Shire of Mundaring.

“The contractor has made significant headway towards the completion of Scott Street bridge over the Christmas period, however due to harvest and vehicle movement bans imposed by the Shire of Mundaring when certain fire risk conditions are met, continued progress has been restricted,’’ they said.

“A number of these harvest and vehicle movement bans have been put in place since early January and are anticipated to continue over the coming weeks.

But the shire said between November 1 to January 15, harvest and vehicle movement bans were only imposed on four days. Three of those days were in November and just one in January.

“Due to the safety risks, these bans mean that our contractor cannot work on site,’’ the Main Roads spokesperson said.

“It is expected this project will be completed in February 2024, dependant on the ongoing bush fire risk.’’

Construction on the Scott Street bridge, which crosses the Helena River, began last March and was originally set to be completed in October.

In Scott Street bridge construction delays (Echo News, October 27) that timeline was extended to January after heavy rains caused damage to the pre-existing bridge abutments during the first stage of construction.

The decision was made to build new retaining walls to stabilise the abutments, which extended construction time but will also reduce further maintenance in the future.

The upgrade has seen the replacement of the original timber structure with steel and concrete to allow more access options to the area in the event of bushfires.

So far, the eastern carriageway and the new pedestrian footpath have been completed and opened, while work on the western carriageway is underway.