Mountain Scene spotted a significant crack through the middle of the recently repaired historic Horne Creek Bridge — a council spokesman confirms it’s the result of a third vehicle colliding with the Ballarat St wall over the past year.
The bridge, which dates back to 1882 and is listed as an historic place, came asunder earlier this year following two separate incidents in which cars crashed into it.
Council engaged a certified stonemason to carry out the repairs — for about a month from October 3 the bridge was taken apart, stone by stone, and put back together.
The most recent incident occurred on November 30, while Ballarat St’s been reduced to one lane due to Alliance stormwater upgrades.
An initial inspection suggests the damage this time isn’t as serious, but "there is certainly some repair work required".
The spokesman notes to the best of their knowledge, there’ve been no previous similar incidents.
"So to have three strikes in a year is unprecedented and very disappointing.
"In tandem with our ongoing investigations, we’re considering measures to minimise the chance of it happening again, but options are limited given the narrowness of the road in this location ... ."
As to the cost:
"We’re not able to put a dollar figure on the work at this stage."
