The much-loved bridges of the park have been closed by ACT Transport and City Services since April 2021 due to safety concerns, although Belconnen Community Council chair Glen Hyde said problems were present much earlier.

"Transport and City Services told us the bridges have been unserviceable for about 12 months but I would say that these issues have been ongoing for the past 25 or 26 years," Mr Hyde said.

"It's not unusual to see some of the railings or actual tread points on the bridges fall into disrepair because they're timber and that's always going to be an issue especially with the extreme weather we get.

"I'm still not 100 per cent across the reason why they decided to stop use of them. I understand a risk management assessment has been done on them and determined the risk is too high that somebody will be injured or possibly killed if ongoing use is made of them.

"There's a fair amount of community sentiment that they weren't at that point where they were a higher risk, so people have become frustrated by how long they've been closed."

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The three bridges have been out of use for almost 10 months, which has raised questions over how long it will take the ACT government to replace them.

Mr Hyde said it was crucial completely new bridges were built.

"As much as I would like to be able to support community members' views that the bridges only be restored, I don't think that's practical," he said.

"Of course I find it frustrating that I can't use the bridges and for the community - whether it's temporary or permanent - it is always upsetting because everyone gets used to a particular life when it came to these structures.

"However, I would rather see us have something installed that will work for a good 50 to 60 years in the future than something we've got to patch up every couple of years. It should not take the government long to install new ones, with a decent crew one bridge could be six weeks to two months."

An ACT government spokesperson said plans and designs to replace the bridges had commenced and "due to the environmental values within the Umbagong District Park, ecological and heritage assessments must first be undertaken to inform the most suitable design and timeline for replacement of the bridges".

"These assessments are under way and a design consultant has been hired to ensure a quick transition from planning assessments to preliminary design," the spokesperson said.

"Community consultation will take place in early 2022 and the Umbagong Bridges Community Action Group will be invited to participate, along with local residents."

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