Flinders Shire Council Mayor Jane McNamara is disappointed in comments suggesting that the new causeway across Prairie Creek on the Aramac-Torrens Creek Road should have been built higher.
The dual lane bridge containing three sets of box culverts is at least a metre higher than the narrow cement crossing with two pipes it replaces, and was completed in early December at a cost of $10 million.
Some commentators watching the flood camera installed at the crossing, 108km south of Torrens Creek, asked why the bridge hadn't been constructed at a higher level.
"Always said it wasn't high enough unreal," was one of the comments shared.
Cr McNamara said one-third of the 42,000 square kilometre shire drained into the catchment that the new infrastructure crossed at Prairie Creek.
"People need to understand, if you get a rain event of 200mm across that area, no infrastructure is going to handle that," she said.
"When the Burdekin bridge was built they said it would never go under and it went under the very next week, and it was the same with the bridge over the Cloncurry River.
"If there was an endless pot of money, it could have been higher but the whole road has to be higher - that would mean raising half a kilometre of road, which costs."
The bridge project was part of a $40m package funded by the federal and state governments on an 80:20 basis, which also saw the rest of the Aramac-Torrens Creek Road sealed.
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Jody Murray, who is familiar with the area, added her voice to the social media debate, urging people to gain some perspective.
"The road is shut to travellers as the creeks are over bridges further south, and the soft edges along the road make it very unsafe for passing other vehicles," she said.
Moving onto the geography of the area, she said Prairie Creek had about four or five other creeks that run into it, in the 30km or so before it gets to the crossing at the bridge.
"At present, all these creeks are running bankers or are out of their banks," she said.
"Prairie Creek runs into Torrens Creek, which is running pretty big.
"When the two creek systems meet, the water backs up, and the flow rate decreases, causing the water to back up, and this usually happens about where the bridge is.
"So yes, there is a possibility that the bridge can go under."
Regarding the safety aspects of the causeway, which is marked by guideposts rather than a guardrail, Cr McNamara said it had just opened and she wasn't sure if adding guardrails was a possibility.
The Aramac-Torrens Creek Road is a state controlled road and the bridge was designed by TMR.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
