Council have accepted a tender which will keep Koombana Drive open during the urgent upgrades scheduled to begin in a month.
Ertech Holdings will carry out the work at a cost of $3.14 million, which is under the City’s forecast budget.
The successful tender includes keeping two lanes of traffic open during the entirety of the project, which is expected to take 20 weeks.
The scope of works also includes a new marine wall, demolition of the existing boardwalk to make way for a new land-based path, widening of a 600 metre stretch of Koombana Drive between Estuary Drive and the Dolphin Discovery Centre, the construction of two cycleways and a median strip with street lighting.
Mr Brennan said he was impressed with the number of tenders submitted and the quality of work proposed, which had led to Bunbury City Council choosing the option to maintain traffic flow during construction.
“Throughout this process we have prepared people for the possibility of a complete closure, but I am delighted the work can be carried out with two lanes of traffic open,” he said.
“We asked tenderers to be creative in their proposals and that is what we got. It is fantastic that the work has scope to be achieved in the timeframe specified and with the least amount of disruption to traffic.”
Preparations for construction will begin in earnest with the City of Bunbury embarking on a three-week project to relocate a water main.
This will involve the removal of vegetation on the port side of Koombana Drive with some traffic management required at various stages of the work.
Mr Brennan said the upgrade marked the first of many construction projects along Koombana Drive.
“We should see the start of construction of Koombana North this calendar year, with the waterfront redevelopment and construction of the Parks and Wildlife Headquarters expected to follow soon after,” he said.
Pedestrians are being reminded that once work begins, access to the George Baxter Boardwalk will not be available.
“We appreciate that the boardwalk is a popular attraction as people walk, run or ride around the Inlet, however, it does need to be removed for safety reasons,” Mr Brennan said.
“While we understand the lack of a pedestrian path on this side of the Inlet for a period of time will be an inconvenience, the public can be assured it will be replaced with a modern path that all members of the community can use.”
The community will be advised of the exact construction dates following a meeting between the City and Ertech.
