From left, Elizabeth Burgess, Ken Goodlet, Blue Mountains MP Roza Sage, Gareth Wilding–Forbes and Angela Lougheed at Hazelbrook pedestrian bridge.
Local residents have had a win over the Road and Maritime Services (RMS) after it agreed to improve the appearance of the controversial pedestrian bridge at Hazelbrook.
Blue Mountains MP Roza Sage announced on Monday the RMS will finish the bridge with sandstone cladding rather than cheaper rock-filled mesh baskets.
Blue Mountains City Council wrote to the RMS just last month in attempt to get it to reverse its plans to use the mesh baskets on the bridge.
Hazelbrook Association President Angela Lougheed has welcomed the announcement.
“The association team has been petitioning for two-and-a-half years to achieve this outcome,” she said.
“The [then] RTA first stalled us with the answer being that we were to be given bags of rocks because nothing else will fit the area. . . We are rapt as an association that the outcome for our community has been achieved. Thanks goes to those who helped us to achieve the outcome — Roza [Sage] and the RMS staff.”
Mrs Sage said the Hazelbrook Association had “worked tirelessly to improve the local area and need to be commended for their fantastic effort”.
“The RMS staff have also done a great deal of positive work and I am grateful that the community will now have an outcome that everyone is happy with.”
She said the RMS fast-tracked a review of the aesthetics of the project which led to the change.
“RMS has advanced this review and developed a revised design which will provide a sandstone finish to the ends of the bridge. The work is expected to start mid this year as part of the Woodford to Hazelbrook highway upgrade work,” she said.
The Hazelbrook pedestrian bridge was installed in mid-2011.