Feedback Requested
In delivering this project, we are seeking input from the community, and in particular Murphy Street residents, in four key areas:
1. Do you want Council to defer the usual construction start time from 7am to later? If so, what is your preferred start time and why?
2. The project is expected to take six months from start to finish. It will start mid-October 2019 with completion expected by mid April 2020 – prior to Easter [10 April 2020]. During this period, there will be no construction activity over the Christmas New Year period, or on any long weekends during that period. Are there any other special events or days you would prefer no construction? If so, what are the day/s dates, and reasons.
3. There are two design options.
(1) Tech mat from top to bottom
(2) Tech mat part way down with two metre high gabions at the bottom, with vegetation planted on the ledge created. If gabions is the preferred option, there’s the ability to select colour of rock and pattern.
Do you have a preference in terms of gabions or no gabions? If so why.
If you prefer gabions, do you have a preference of rock colour and/or pattern. (Pink, grey or black)
4. Are there any other aspects you would like Council to consider in delivering the Murphy Street project.
Summary of Information Presented at Meeting (24 July 2019)
In March 2018, there was a significant landslip above Murphy Street, Port Douglas. Emergency Works returned the area to a reasonable level of service within four weeks. In December 2018, interim works were undertaken in preparation of the wet season and these performed well.
Council has since secured disaster recovery funding from NDRRA. These funds only cover “like for like” and in June 2019, Councillors resolved to contribute further funds and take the opportunity to improve the streetscape to the normal urban standards with the installation of kerb and guttering at the three landslide sites on Murphy Street which are:
• Murphy Street and Grant Street intersection
• Murphy Street and Owen Street intersection
• Murphy Street, east of Owen Street
Click Here to view Murphy Street Technical Drawings
Construction Time Frame – Council is working towards the following timeframe:
• Tender released – Mid August 2019
• Tender awarded – mid September 2019
• Contractors onsite – mid October 2019
• Works completed – April 2020 (Good Friday 10 April 2020)
This is Council’s preferred timeframe for two reasons:
• Firstly, there is a deadline for expenditure of the NDRRA funding of 30 June 2020, which provides very little flexibility.
• While it does mean part of construction will be during the wet season, and there may be weather delays, this is preferable as it entirely avoids construction activity during the peak tourism season.
Work Hours – Council usually specifies the following standard work hours:
7am to 6pm – Monday to Friday
7am to 1pm – Saturday
No activity Sunday
No activity during Christmas New Year Period
No activity on long weekends, e.g. Australia Day
Council may consider allocating additional days for no construction if requested.
Noise – apart from normal construction noise, drilling the soil nails will be very noisy.
This part of the construction is expected to take 12 weeks, based on the standard work hours. There is the option of limiting drilling time, which would in turn, increase the total time on site. By way of example, if soil nail drilling starts an hour later at 8am, instead of 12 weeks, crews would be on site for around 13 ½ weeks. And so on. Please tell us your preference in terms of start time. Is 7am acceptable or should it be later?
Design – There are two design options
The first is tech mat from top to bottom – picture below is the tech mat used at Pebbly Beach on the Captain Cook Highway.
The picture below shows the type of gabions. There will be only two high and not stepped.
If Gabions are preferred, there’s an option to select between pink, black and grey rock, and to choose a pattern or choose one solid colour or to go for a random mixture. Below is a picture of the rock colours and different patterns.
Traffic access – as a general rule, one lane will be open at all times during construction. There may be occasions when contractors need to close the road for a short time <15 minutes, but this is not expected to be frequent. Residents did report that during the interim landslip repairs in 2018, there were a few occasions when the road was closed for 4 hours, without notice. This has been noted, and in managing this project, Council will require contractors to provide reasonable notice to residents if there’s a need to close the road entirely for extended periods during the day.
Promotion of Vegetation Following Construction – The seeded Tech Mat will not only stabilise the area but will also retain moisture and assist seed germination. Council’s nursery has started stock piling seeds of native plants and grasses found in the same area. The use of naturally occurring plants is preferred as the steep slope makes ongoing maintenance impractical. If gabions are the preferred design, the ledge will be planted out by the contractors and there is potential to choose plants which will overflow the gabions. An example has been supplied but it is worth noting the gabions will be stacked two metres high so the ledge will not be visible walking by.
Other Considerations – suggestions from residents who attended the meeting included a request for additional street lighting, a sign to advise motorists it was no through road and questions around drainage.
Enquiries and Feedback Requested
If you have any enquiries, or want to talk through any of the information available, please contact Gaye Scott on 0418 793 009 or gaye.scott@douglas.qld.gov.au
