Council announces contracts for major projects

Date: Monday, 31st August 2009

Heavy machinery is set to roll on two major infrastructure projects, after the Townsville City Council announced construction contracts for North Shore Boulevard and the upgrade of the city’s wastewater network.

A special council meeting today awarded a $118 million contract to one of Australia’s biggest engineering and building firms, Baulderstone, to build a new state of the art wastewater treatment facility at Mt St John, along with 27 kilometres in sewage diversion pipelines.

Council also approved a contract for Seymour Whyte Constructions to build North Shore Boulevard, which will fast track development and provide an alternative access between Mount Low Parkway and the Bruce Highway.

The North Shore Boulevard contract comprises $35 million for the construction of the 7km road and $11.3 million for associated utilities including water and sewerage mains.

Mayor Cr Les Tyrell said both infrastructure projects were essential building blocks for the city’s expansion and would create local jobs during their construction.

“Both of these projects will play an important role in stimulating the next major phase of development in Townsville,” Cr Tyrell said.

“Work on the Mt St John plant will more than double the capacity of the existing facility and have major environmental benefits for local water ways.

“Discharge into the Black River and Saunders will be eliminated altogether and the level of nutrients entering the Bohle River will be greatly reduced.”

The new plant will service a huge area of Townsville including Pallarenda, Cranbrook, Kirwan, Mount Louisa, Heatley, Vincent, the industrial area of Garbutt, Bohle Plains, Deeragun and Mt Low.

Smaller existing plants at Mount Low, Deeragun and the Bohle will be decommissioned when the upgrade is complete in 2011.

Cr Tyrell said the construction of North Shore Boulevard would fast track development and provide greater housing choice in the city.

The road will part of the city’s trunk road infrastructure which is funded over time by
user pays head works charges generated from developments in the area.

“Council’s decision today is following through on its commitment to make North Shore Boulevard a priority to stimulate further development and provide an important alternative link to the Northern Beaches,” Cr Tyrell said.