Footpath in $5m Bentham Street revamp ripped up after wrong colour grey used
A just-laid footpath in a $5m city street revamp will be torn up – blowing out the project by months – as a councillor slams the “mad” decision and reveals the bizarre reason behind it.
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A footpath installed as part of a $5m revamp to a city side street will be ripped up and replaced because the concrete is the wrong shade of grey.
Adelaide City Council confirmed the aggregate will be relaid along one section of one side of Bentham Street after the concrete supplier provided the wrong mix.
The council said the error was the fault of the supplier and it would not affect the cost of the project – a final stage of the $14.6m Market to Riverbank link.
The revelation comes as the planned date for full vehicle access, before the project’s completion, blows out until at least December, three months later than originally planned.
The Bentham St upgrade, by T&J Constructions, includes road resurfacing, new lighting, an avenue of trees, art installations and widening footpaths.
The council’s associate director of infrastructure, Mark Goudge, confirmed work would start this week to replace the street’s pavement and it would not be added to the project’s approximate cost of $5.5m.
“As part of quality controls, the contractor identified the wrong product was laid for the pavement and is in the process of rectifying this,” Mr Goudge said.
“There will be no additional cost to the City of Adelaide after the concrete plant supplied the wrong mix of aggregate. The contractor will resolve costs with the supplier.”
The Advertiser understands the contractor wants the new aggregate to be laid by the end of this week, but T&J Constructions referred all questions to the council.
City of Adelaide South Ward councillor Alex Hyde said it was “incredibly frustrating” to see this happen and it was “madness to rip it up and do it all again” over a different shade of grey.
“This project (Market to Riverbank link) has been dragging on for many years now, and once again local businesses are going to have to endure this,” he said.
“Grey is grey, just get it done.”
This morning, Mr Hyde told the ABC the project highlighted the city’s tendency to “paint the town grey”.
“We have a design manual which our planners and infrastructure teams follow, which is all these various different kinds of grey,” he said.
“The guide is given to the construction industry and developers … it’s a nightmare for them to jump through.
“In my view, it’s depriving the city of colour and texture.”
Mr Hyde went on to say reviews have been submitted to revise the guide, but the results are yet to come back.
The mix-up is the latest in a litany of errors associated with road upgrades and improvements by the council, including the Hindley St West redevelopment.
In 2014, the council laid pavers on the road that didn’t pass the traction test, forcing it to slash speed limits along the strip to ensure safety before rectifying the issue.
Similar safety concerns were raised when the council upgraded the road bisecting Victoria Square with pavers as part of the square’s $28m revamp.
The Bentham St upgrade has also caused traffic issues along Waymouth St, as construction trucks stop in no-parking zones near the Waymouth and Bentham streets intersection and partially across lanes.
“We have noted construction vehicles not related to our works have been stopping in the left-turn lane to Bentham Street which is closed due to the works,” Mr Goudge said.
“At times, this prevents vehicles from being able to go around other vehicles waiting to turn right into Topham carpark.
“We have ensured no construction vehicles related to our works are parked in these areas to try and improve traffic flow along Waymouth Street.”
Construction works began in February with Bentham St closed to all traffic and blocking carpark access to businesses including The Advertiser and Australia Post.
The council made alternative parking arrangements and Mr Goudge said they hoped there would be some carpark access along Bentham St before December.
“Every effort has been made by the contractors and the City of Adelaide to minimise the impact to traffic, residents and businesses while Bentham Street is upgraded,” he said.
“The Bentham Street Upgrade is one of the final links of the $14.6m Market to Riverbank upgrade and will reinvigorate a key thoroughfare in the city as a new green space for the community to enjoy.”
The upgrade was initially planned to start at the end of 2020, but was delayed due to traffic access being needed to access Covid quarantine facility Peppers Hotel.
The Market to Riverbank upgrade has involved overhaul a series of laneways to enhance city space and outdoor dining and connects streets used by 15,000 people daily.
Since 2016, improvements have been made to Bank St, Leigh St and Topham Mall. The final part of the project is Pitt St.
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