The Byron Creek Bridge at Bangalow will remain closed next week (19 to 23 January) with investigations continuing into the structural integrity of the bridge.

The bridge was closed unexpectedly last Friday afternoon (9 January) after a fire underneath the bridge.

Specialist structural engineers have assessed the bridge, and Council is still hoping to be able to reopen it to light traffic.

“What we need to determine is the maximum weight load the bridge can cope with, and once we have this information, we will know what sorts of cars, utes or heavier vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge,” Phil Holloway, Director Infrastructure Services, said.

“The engineers need to have full access to the bridge to do this work,” he said.

The bridge is on Bangalow Road which is an alternative access to the southern part of Byron Bay and one of the busier roads in the Shire, carrying around 5,000 vehicles a day.

“The bridge is quite close to Bangalow and the current detours add significant travelling time for drivers.

“We want to see it reopened as soon as possible but the first priority is always safety,” Mr Holloway said.

Drivers should check Live Traffic NSW for updates.