Council allocates nearly $500k to keep South Rockhampton Flood Levee ‘shovel ready’

The council continues to seek funding for the project, the cost of which blew out to nearly $190 million in 2020 from an initial price of $60 million.

Conceptual design of the proposed South Rockhampton Flood Levee. Photo: File

Rockhampton Regional Council has allocated $487,197 to the South Rockhampton Flood Levee this financial year for the administration required to keep its business case current.

The council continues to seek funding for the project, the cost of which blew out to nearly $190 million in 2020 from an initial price of $60 million.

Though the council’s website says “detailed design and documentation has been completed”, the 2021-22 budget highlighted $0.4 million for “completion of design development”.

Council CEO Evan Pardon said the money was available so that construction could begin quickly if a deficit of $105 million were filled.

“The South Rockhampton Flood Levee project has been going on for almost 30 years and was first proposed after the 1991 flood,” he said.

“Following Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 and the subsequent flood, council took the project through to detailed design and there was a shortfall at that time of $105 million in the overall construction cost.

“Until that shortfall is addressed the project can’t proceed, so a report was put to council in October last year asking for the state and federal commitments at the time, $25 million each, to be redirected to other projects until the overall funding of the SRFL could be resolved.

“There’s $400,000 budgeted in this financial year to keep the project shovel ready if and when the total funding is made available.”

The 8.74km flood levee would prevent the Fitzroy River flooding parts of Rockhampton’s CBD, Port Curtis, and Depot Hill.

It would extend from the Fitzroy Bridge to the Bruce Highway at the intersection with Jellicoe Street through Quay Street, Wharf Street, Fiddes Street, and Jellicoe Street.