World-first cassowary bridge in Far North Queensland

April 4, 2024 7:44 AM

Differing opinions over whether a world-first cassowary bridge in Far North Queensland may be too steep for the endangered birds to use.

Veterinarian Graham Lauridsen, who is part of the Wet Tropics Management Authority's Cassowary Recovery Team, said the bridge left a lot to be desired.

"It was a good idea, but the outcome has been less than ideal," he said.

One of the major criticisms of the project has been the sharp slope of the ramps up and down the bridge.

"As it stands the ramp is very steep and a cassowary would struggle to get up and down the ramp and the western side," Dr Lauridsen said.

"Part of the problem with cassowaries is that we can't teach them to go over the bridge and down the other side. They habitually travel where they have always travelled.

"Cassowaries and roads don't mix, and cassowaries and fences don't go too well together. They will try to go through them … and do damage to themselves."

Mission Beach community group C4, whose work focuses on coastal and cassowary conservation, has been contracted to supply vegetation for the new bridge.

President Peter Rowles said the group was supportive of anything that linked cassowary habitats.

"The wildlife bridge is in place now and C4 will do whatever it can to ensure that it acts as an effective crossing for wildlife between Mission Beach and the western side of the Bruce Highway," he said.

Mr Rowles said he was not concerned about the steepness of the crossing.

'I've seen cassowaries move up far steeper areas and I think the unevenness of the terrain would assist not just cassowaries but wildlife to move through there fairly easily," he said.

posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (7 comments total)

"As it stands the ramp is very steep and a cassowary would struggle to get up and down the ramp and the western side," Dr Lauridsen said.

If it's too steep for them it's gonna be much too steep for the chariot.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:17 AM on April 4 [13 favorites]

That’s when we shift to the palanquin carried by cassowaries.

More seriously, I hope the doubters are wrong, and the birds take to the new route. People are pretty pissy about spending money protecting animals who have been places longer than we have, and I’d rather they not get more ammunition.

It probably would be cheaper to close the road, but nobody wants that but the wildlife, which doesn’t have the vote.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:31 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]

It probably would be cheaper to close the road, but nobody wants that but the wildlife, which doesn’t have the vote

It would be really nice if they at least stopped running a Grand Prix (car race) through cassowary habitat.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:35 AM on April 4 [3 favorites]

The first picture makes it look like a bridge on a hillside as steep as a retaining wall. It might look better from other angles but I can see why people are angry about it.
posted by ockmockbock at 9:52 AM on April 4

initially slated to cost less than $10 million

That is a small bridge for 40M. Seriously, 20 million would not have made a nice bridge? I work in a construction office but admittedly know little about commercial construction projects of this nature.
posted by Glinn at 10:28 AM on April 4

The price tag includes widening the road and adding a lane which appears to have involved significant earthworks. It's pretty slanted to imply the costs are all for the bridge construction which itself would have been cheaper if it only had to cross the original alignment.
posted by Mitheral at 10:52 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]

That is a small bridge for 40M. Seriously, 20 million would not have made a nice bridge? I work in a construction office but admittedly know little about commercial construction projects of this nature.

It's worth noting that this is $40 million Australian,
which converts to US $26.4 million.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:00 AM on April 4