Emergency works rapidly reopen Brisbane Valley Highway at Fernvale

The Brisbane Valley Highway at Fernvale reopened just two weeks after south-east Queensland was devastated by record-breaking rainfall and flooding in early 2022.

To restore road access for the community, emergency repairs were undertaken to Geoff Fisher Bridge after it was severely damaged by water inundation.

Brisbane Valley Highway is an important 84-kilometre connection between the Warrego Highway in Ipswich and the D'Aguilar Highway near Harlin.

At nearby Wivenhoe Dam, a total of 520mm in rainfall was recorded over just three days at the end of February.

During the 2022 SEQ floods, the Brisbane Valley Highway was closed at multiple locations due to flooding across low-lying areas and bridges.

Once floodwaters receded and inspections could be undertaken, it was identified there was extensive damage to the road embankment, pavement and surfacing on the southern approach to the Geoff Fisher Bridge and at the nearby Wivenhoe Pocket Road intersection.

TMR and its road maintenance contractor, Somerset Regional Council, worked in cooperation to start roadworks immediately to restore this vital link.

The damage, coupled with water from Wivenhoe Dam releases receding slower than expected, resulted in this section of the Brisbane Valley Highway remaining closed longer than initially anticipated.

Once water levels dropped enough to allow a structural inspection of the bridge footings, the bridge and adjacent road was reopened 12 March 2022.

Assistance to support the emergency repairs was provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).