Footpaths on the Story Bridge to remain closed for weeks

At a press conference, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the footpaths were closed before the cyclone so people walking across were not exposed to high winds and rain.

“But what we’ve done is we’ve used the opportunity now, because we have money from the federal government to progress our business case and restoration plan,” he said.

“As part of that work, we need to do technical assessments on various parts of the bridge.

“The footpath is the first place that we’re doing testing and assessments on – we need the footpath to be closed while we do those assessments.

“So we’re just taking the opportunity now to keep it closed for a little bit longer so that we can do the testing, and then we can get on with the process beyond that.”

Schrinner was asked why both paths were closed at the same time, but he did not answer.

“We’re doing testing on both sides,” he said.

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Signs suggest people detour via the Kangaroo Point Bridge and City Riverwalk to travel to the city, Fortitude Valley or New Farm.

However, the Riverwalk between One Eagle and Riparian Plaza is closed to pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders until late 2025 during the construction of Waterfront Brisbane.

More than 100,000 vehicles cross the Story Bridge each day, and up to 1800 cyclists and 3400 pedestrians used the footpaths daily in 2023 – the most recent statistics available.

Brisbane CBD BUG co-convenor Paul French called for a traffic lane to be temporarily partitioned off with barriers for walkers and riders, similar to the arrangement on Coronation Drive when the former Drift restaurant blocked the Bicentennial Bikeway in 2022.

“The detour is ridiculous – it’s 2.5 kilometres, so people walking just can’t do that,” he said.

“People cycling or scootering – they’ll have to take to the road in the CBD.

“If it’s going to be closed for weeks, then they can act now and close a lane for cyclists and pedestrians.”

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