Community & Business
3 August, 2022
$2.8m water main set for Anzac Ave
A MAJOR water main along Anzac Avenue will be replaced after Mareeba Shire Council awarded a $2.86 million contract for the project.
Council awarded the contract to NQ Wastetrans Pty Ltd which will supply and install a new water main from the intersection of Constance Street and along the entire length of Anzac Avenue to Elisa Avenue.
Council has already flagged some disruption to traffic during the project, with a 5-7 day closure of John Doyle Bridge. Pedestrian access will still be available.
“By closing the bridge for approximately a week, council is minimising traffic disruptions,” Mayor Angela Toppin explained.
“The alternative was for the bridge to remain open with traffic control, however work on the bridge would require five to six weeks to complete without having pedestrian traffic movements,” Mayor Toppin said.
The existing water main is a combination of asbestos cement and thin-walled white PVC. The current infrastructure will be decommissioned by filling the pipes with a concrete and grout mixture.
The project involves the installation of 300mm PVC Supermain and Ductile iron cement-lined pipes to replace the existing pipes.
“To date, approximately 15 kilometres of asbestos cement pipe renewals have been completed as part of council’s Water Main Replacement Program.
The section on Anzac Avenue from the intersection at Constance Street to Elisa Avenue will add 3.4km to the renewals,” Mayor Toppin said.
“The replacement of failed asbestos cement pipes is one of the major projects under council’s water strategy which will see the continued provision of safe drinking water to an estimated 11,000 residents.
“Like most rural and regional areas, much of the Shire’s urban drinking water supply infrastructure was installed in the 1950s to 1960s and is approaching the end of its useful life.
“An allocation in the 2022/23 Capital Works program has been provided to replace the failed existing asbestos cement water mains throughout the shire as council’s strategy to address critical water issues across the shire over the next 10 years.” The project will commence in September and works are expected to be completed by May 2023.
“Council would like to take this opportunity to thank residents for their patience and understanding while the necessary work takes place,” Mayor Toppin said.
The upgrade of the Anzac Avenue Water Main in Mareeba is being undertaken with funding from the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
