If you have tried to cross the Richmond River using the Casino footbridge lately, you’ll see it is impassable.

Richmond Valley Council said the footbridge has been underwater every week or two for the last six months since ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

“We can’t fix it while it has water over it,” a council spokesperson said.

“If we get a dry spell soon, we can get machines down the riverbank to fix the footbridge as it has been approved to be fixed under natural disaster funding.”

The council would like to get the footbridge fixed before the Casino Fun Run in September. But it all depends on the weather and the amount of rain we get.

The footbridge is important for walkers because it links Queen Elizabeth Park with the Casino CBD.

The council has plans to build a suspension bridge instead that will alleviate the footbridge issues because the height of the suspension bridge will reduce the likelihood of damage.

“The (suspension) bridge will take off within about 20 metres of the start of the path, down from where the sign that says the footbridge is closed, and goes across the river from there to avoid the existing power lines,” the council said.

A tender to build the suspension bridge was approved at a recent council meeting and once final environmental approvals are completed, work should start in September.

The $3.5million suspension bridge will fix the issue of crossing the Richmond River, solving the problem of a constantly broken footbridge.

This article appeared on indyNR.com on 6 August 2025.