Hahndorf main street to undergo urgent $200,000 patch-up to repair defects
Dozens of “defects” along the tourism town’s historic main street will be repaired as the local council juggles the budget to make it happen quickly.
Adelaide Hills & Murraylands
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Mount Barker Council will spend about $200,000 to fix dozens of “defects” along Hahndorf’s main street after the premier tourism strip lost hundreds of millions in Commonwealth funding.
And it will keep pushing for government funding to remove “unnecessary traffic” from the main street.
Pavers will be relaid, large sections of uneven footpaths smoothed over to reduce pooling during wet weather and damaged kerbing replaced under the project to patch up the town’s main street, which attracts more than a million visitors every year.
The council will also fill some verges with sand to reduce trip hazards, replace damaged stormwater outlets and fix dodgy signs.
New trees, lighting and landscaping is also part of the plan.
The “unplanned” maintenance means money would be stripped from the renewal of the linear trail near the recently closed Mountain Pool.
Only “priority” maintenance works will be considered as the council seeks more funding to deliver a full main street upgrade
The council voted to go ahead with the upgrades at its last meeting, after a $250m Hahndorf renewal project was cancelled in November when the federal government withdrew its funding.
Parts of the project – to upgrade freeway interchange at Mount Barker Verdun – were reinstated at the federal budget in May.
But other aspects of the funding focusing on revamping Hahndorf’s historic main street were not included.
Council’s general manager of infrastructure Phil Burton said the council was still pushing for government funds for a full main street upgrade, as well as for key road junctions.
“Council’s Integrated Transport Plan will be presented to council for endorsement in October and this lists key transport-related actions for Hahndorf,” he said.
He said council wanted investment to remove “unnecessary traffic” from the main street of Hahndorf to make it safer and more attractive.
“Council will consider this matter when the Integrated Transport Plan is presented to council for endorsement in October,” he said.
In April, council spent $2.3m on a piece of prime land in the main street and is considering turning it into a carpark.
A council team inspected the tourist town in June to create a master list of urgent repairs.
More than 30 defects and problems were found after feedback from the town’s community and business groups.
Transport Department officials have previously rejected a community-led push for a link road around Hahndorf, saying it would cost too much.
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