Four Wheel Drive Victoria have made informed by Forest Fire Management Victoria that construction works on two new bridges which provide critical firefighter access to some of north east Victoria’s most bushfire prone areas will start this month.
Mountain Creek Bridge and Lords Creek Bridge, which connect Upper Murray and Alpine communities, will be replaced to improve access for heavy firefighting vehicles travelling between Mitta Mitta and Mount Beauty.
Mountain Creek Road will be closed from September 24 to November 30, while Trappers Gap Road will be closed from 11 October to November 30.
Visitors are encouraged to plan their trip in advance to ensure that they have the most up-to-date information about which roads and tracks are open.
Forest Fire Management Victoria, Hume Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Aaron Kennedy, said the works will provide safer and quicker access for firefighters and heavy machinery to contain fires before they spread and impact communities and the environment.
“Increasing load limits for heavy firefighting vehicles, including fire tankers, bulldozers and excavators, will improve access to high fire risk areas and key popular recreation sites,” he said.
The works are part of the Victorian Government’s $272.3 million Reducing Bushfire Risk program and complement other works to reduce the impacts of bushfires on communities and the environment, including strategic fuel breaks, planned burning, slashing, and mulching.
