Salt Pan Creek Wooden Path Burn Damage

[peter]

Not sure if it's deliberate , friend took the photos, it's the wooden path near Salt Pan Creek north of M5 at Riverwood.

[Philistine]

Not sure if it's deliberate , friend took the photos, it's the wooden path near Salt Pan Creek north of M5 at Riverwood.

Are you sure it is burn damage? I last rode over that bridge about 12 months ago and it was falling to bits then. I stopped riding that way because I didn't like the look of it.

[peter]

It wouldn't turn black if falling over by itself.

Riding that path does have some degree of novelty at the beginning, but I generally avoid the area due to surrounding wetland, sub par condition, and limited field of vision.

[SteveTheTiger]

That route is my commute to work! A detour to my journey (Bonnyrigg to Hurstville) will probably add 15 minutes plus, so lockdown gives me some time to plan alternate routes.

As is often common, the school holidays regularly bring a rise in acts of vandalism/arson such as this. Ive just read of a bunch of rocks dumped on the M7 cycleway in the last 24 hours, so the holidays combined with increased boredom from lockdown is inevitably the cause.

This incident also raises the fact that https://www.livetraffic.com/ doesn't include situations that purely effect active transport. This particular damage is a long term break in a critical crossing in the principle cycling network. However, I doubt that even Canterbury-Bankstown Council will notify its local residents, apart when they stumble across the yellow tape at this point. The average cycling commuter has no central source of finding out about these situations, never mind alternate routes.

[peter]

This type of structural repair will probably take a long time, whether the council would prioritise is yet another unknown.

It took a long time to start work on replacing some unsafe planks under Henry Lawson Dr bridge, the work took at least 3 weeks and no access throughout the entire duration.

[SteveTheTiger]

Has anyone been near this location to see if anything has been done to replace the boardwalk?

Or should I just accept that an extended commute will become the norm, and that the failure of an important active transport link really is of little interest to car-loving Councils?

[peter]

Has anyone been near this location to see if anything has been done to replace the boardwalk?

I can confirm it is still broken, and no signs of being repaired.

[g-boaf]

Has anyone been near this location to see if anything has been done to replace the boardwalk?

I can confirm it is still broken, and no signs of being repaired.

I'd guess that while we are in these covid times, you can forget about anything like this being replaced/repaired quickly. Replacing a bridge at Prospect Dam is months behind schedule and the contacts given for the work just palm queries off to Sydney Water (who are equally slow to answer).

[peter]

Replacing a bridge at Prospect Dam is months behind schedule.

Are they finally building that bridge? After 13 years?

Edit: just realised that you were talking about the bridge inside the reservoir, not the one they are campaigning to reinstate.

I remember the sign says April to July 2021, so 3 months late and counting.

[andrei]

Has anyone been near this location to see if anything has been done to replace the boardwalk?

Sorry for the bump but came across this thread from another blog, can confirm bridge is still out as of today.

[peter]

Thanks for the update, I have forgotten about this. An alternative is the foot bridge at the train track, but recently I prefer the alongside Henry Lawson Drive.

[SteveTheTiger]

We are now two years on from when the wooden boardwalk over Salt Pan Creek connecting Riverwood and Padstow was vandalised by fire and closed by Canterbury Bankstown Council.

I sent an email to CBCity 6 weeks ago, and never got a reply. However, I believe that some work may have started. Can anyone go for a ride in that direction and check it out?

Although I don't work in Hurstville any more, the boardwalk is such a vital connection needs upgrading urgently, besides just fixing this bit.

[andrei]

Can anyone go for a ride in that direction and check it out?

I'm sort of in the area, unfortunately got other plans this weekend but next time I ride out that way I'll take a look unless someone else beats me to it.

[peter]

Good news, the path has been repaired. They are just fixing up some loose boards and rails at the other end.

Was able to pass because there were people working on site, but they may still close the gates when unattended.

If not yet officially open, will be very soon.

[andrei]

Good news, the path has been repaired. They are just fixing up some loose boards and rails at the other end.

Was able to pass because there were people working on site, but they may still close the gates when unattended.

If not yet officially open, will be very soon.

Can confirm bridge was open this weekend. Only the first part has been fully replaced, the remainder is still pretty much as it was, with a few new boards in places.

https://imgur.com/a/3G77zV4

[peter]

Only took a little over 2 years.