Bicentennial Park erosion project comes to an end
Date published: 24 November 2015
A complex engineering and environmental project to remediate a major erosion problem on the banks of Ross River is nearing completion on time and on budget.
The Townsville City Council project has seen thousands of cubic metres of rock used to reinforce a 410m section of riverbank on the site of an old landfill at Bicentennial Park.
Council crews have completed staged terracing using rock armour, and construction of a five metre berm at water level to support regeneration of mangroves and rehabilitation of riverbank vegetation.
Council’s Infrastructure Committee chair Cr Trevor Roberts said he was pleased to see the project reach its target.
"This was a significant safety and environmental problem for this park, which was the location of the city’s tip in the 1970s," Cr Roberts said.
"It was necessary to fix erosion problems caused by a number of big wet seasons and to see the project completed within budget and within construction time frames is a credit to the council’s project team."
Cr Roberts said council had consulted with environmental agencies and technical experts to design a permanent engineering and environmental fix for the area.
"The finished product includes a pathway and landscaped areas with irrigation that will prevent site erosion and washouts in future," Cr Roberts said.
Landscaping and turfing is expected to be completed in the next few weeks, with final site handover planned for February 2016.
Site fencing will remain in place until that time to allow vegetation to fully establish.
The project commenced in March and included the use of an estimated 11,000m3 of graded rock, 2,500m3 of armour rock, and 6,300m3 of imported clay in the construction of the terraced rock walls and permeable clay liner to reinforce the riverbank.
