VICTOR HARBOR - The closure of the Granite Island causeway for much-needed repairs will see the Horse Drawn Tram lose more than $60,000 in revenue.
Through the Granite Island Advisory Committee, the Department of Transport, Environment and Infrastructure (DTEI) has said it will carry out significant repair work to the causeway beginning in April 2010.
Work will involve additional piling, girder and corbel replacement, some crosshead replacement and other relevant works, and is expected to take about three months.
During this time, DTEI said the causeway would remain open to pedestrian traffic, but would be closed to vehicle and tram access.
DTEI has also advised that the repairs will only buy time for another five to ten years, with council concerned about the future of the iconic piece of Victor Harbor infrastructure.
"This is something that came up the other day, the limited life of the jetty, and we really need to start as a council to start lobbying.. it will cost several million dollars but the reality is it has to happen, and the sooner the better," Councillor Deane Michelmore said.
Coordinator of the Victor Harbor Tramway Ian Williams said the closure would provide the opportunity to train new horses for the iconic service and also work on maintenance at the site.
"We are still working out exactly what we will do, we will do short runs with the tram while they are working on the Granite Island end of the jetty, then when they start working on the mainland end we will take the opportunity to do some maintenance work and also train two new horses," he said.
Mr Williams said jobs wouldn't be affected by the closure.
"The horses still have to be looked after, and their fitness maintained... they are so valuable they can't be left in a paddock.
"They will still be ridden in every day and they will still be housed down at the causeway during the day so they are tuned in to their surroundings, we don't want them to shy away," he said.
"We may be totally closed for about two months or so, but at the same time it provides us with a fantastic opportunity to train new horses with the trams so they will be ready for when the tram service starts up again," Mr Williams said.
Former Mayor of The City of Victor Harbor and Granite Island Advisory Committee Chairman for the past 20 years Brian Spilsbury, says the committee expressed concerns for the causeway at its last meeting on November 4.
?MORE PAGE 7?
The committee believes the closure could take longer than the predicted three months.
"We are very concerned at the deterioration of the causeway sub-structure and it will have to be closed for six months in 2010 after Easter for urgent repairs and replacement of parts of the sub-structure.
"However for longer term maintenance, within the next five years, it will require total closure of the causeway for possibly as long as twelve months," Mr Spilsbury said.
The committee consists of representatives from the Department of Environment and Heritage, City of Victor Harbor, Department of Transport and Bistro operators who are the major stakeholders of the Island.
Member for Finniss Michael Pengilly raised the concerns of the committee in State Parliament on Tuesday and said the years have caught up with the structure.
"Unless immediate planning and budgeting is undertaken by the Rann Labor Government there will be a crisis over the link to Granite Island in the not too distant future."
"Operators, fishermen and the public are being put at risk because of the current state and condition of the causeway to Granite Island.
"Let me make it quite clear: Granite Island causeway is an icon in South Australia," Mr Pengilly said.
"I believe that an urgent audit and marine inspection should be the first step and then we should proceed, as suggested by Mr Spilsbury, to build an adjoining structure to the east to take vehicular traffic to Granite Island and maintain the existing causeway perhaps for pedestrian use only."
The committee and Mr Pengilly believe there should be little heritage issues with the causeway, as over the past 50 years there have been ongoing repairs and replacements.
The causeway structure is owned by the state government, while council owns and maintains the components relating to the tramway, including tracks and ancillary components.
The City of Victor Harbor will now write to the minister, Patrick Conlon, to lobby to have the causeway matter prioritised as a capital works project by DTEI.
Breakout - What the tram stands to lose
Tram takings in:
April 09 $48, 655
May 09 $ 23, 355
June 09 $18,501
July 09 $32, 139
Last month - October 09 $43, 493
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter