Mayor of Ballarat, Des Hudson, has defended the extra $4.7 million now needed to finish the Bridge Mall redevelopment.
Councillors unanimously backed the move at a meeting on Wednesday night, taking the cost of the entire project to over $23 million.
The City of Ballarat have cited a number of issues during the construction phase, including challenging ground conditions, the need to remove more contaminated material than expected and disposal costs.
The new funds will now go towards fees for a technical consultant and rectifying issues found during construction.
Mr. Hudson says the extent of the failing bridge has only just been uncovered.
“What we didn’t know until we peeled back the layers of the work that we are currently doing in the Bridge Mall to restore that retail precinct to a sense of vibrancy, was the condition of the bridge and it is seriously failing,” he said.
