$6m King William Rd upgrade contract won by Brisbane firm that built Henley Square
A $6m makeover of one of Adelaide’s premier shopping and dining precincts will start after the winning contract was awarded to the firm that built Henley Square.
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The $6m makeover of King William Rd can finally begin, more than a month behind schedule, with the appointment of a builder by Unley Council.
Brisbane-based civil engineering firm BMD Constructions Pty Ltd has won the contract to complete the reconstruction of the premier shopping and dining precinct.
BMD, which secured the job over three other bidders, has a recent history of building work in South Australia.
The firm completed the $9m makeover of Henley Square at Henley Beach and is currently working for the City of Adelaide on the $17m Gawler Place upgrade.
Project adviser Rod Hook said, despite the late starting date, he was giving King William Rd’s traders an “absolute commitment” there would be no work undertaken during the lead-up to Christmas.
“Under the schedule, the road will be finished by December but if we haven’t got footpaths completed we’ll come back in January,” he said.
“We also have to work around the Tour Down Under.
“Timing is an issue but working around traders’ needs is the imperative.”
Mr Hook said they should be reassured the redevelopment would not take as long as the last major upgrade of the road in the late 1980s that saw several close their doors because of prolonged disruption.
“Part of my message to traders is to think differently from the last time,” he said.
“If you were around in the 1980s — we’re not going to take 18 months to do it.”
Beginning work in winter was “not ideal” and progress would be “weather-dependent” but the worst-case scenario was for completion by early February.
Work will begin this month with the relocation of an SA Water pipe.
Starting at the Mitchell and Park Street junction at the southern boundary, the road repaving will begin in June.
The western side footpaths will be finished first before work begins on the eastern side.
Johnny Nasaris, president of the King William Rd traders, said his group was very “eager and excited” the project was about to begin.
“We are feeling very positive about how things will go,” he told the HillsValley Weekly.
“The project seems well structured and organised and we’re feeling very confident it will be as seamless as possible.
Mr Nasaris said communication with the council and project team had been better than hoped.
‘We’re going on the ride with them rather than dragging behind,” he said.
Unley has secured a $700,000 Federal Government grant through the Roads to Recovery Program to support the upgrade.
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