Mayor rejects calls to remove cracked Quay St granite pavers

ENGINEERS still don't know why the new road surface cracked but aren't ruling out possible contractor error.

TOO PAVE OR NOT TO PAVE: Cr Strelow says support for the granite pavers on Quay St has grown since the redevelopment was completed. Picture: Allan Reinikka ROK230718quaystre

CALLS to remove granite pavers from Quay St have been rejected by Mayor Margaret Strelow, who said community support for the look and feel of Quay St was very clear during consultation and had grown further since the redevelopment.

However she did acknowledge that engineers still hadn't determined the cause of cracking in the pavers which formed the new road surface.

On her Facebook page yesterday morning, Cr Strelow said the problem was very unlikely to be with the pavers themselves.

To the people who felt the pavers should be replaced with an asphalt surface she said, "I respect your opinion but disagree".

"Granite can and has been successfully used for roads all around the world- and in lots and lots of places in Australia," Cr Strelow said.

Riverside redevelopment. Quay St. Picture: Allan Reinikka ROK291117ariversi

"Maybe the problem is more about how the concrete slab was poured or prepared than it is about the granite on top.

"Or maybe it's about how the granite was laid - the mortar, the spacing, too wet, too dry?

"And then the question remains - was the problem with the contracted designers, the contracted engineers, the contracted people who wrote up the specifications, or with the contracted people who actually poured the slabs or laid the stone?

"Even in the unlikely event that the stone itself is found to be the problem, then even this decision was made by external designers."

Riverside redevelopment. Quay St. Picture: Allan Reinikka ROK291117ariversi

Although there have been calls to have them removed, almost 100 comments on the post justified the mayor's claim that support for the redevelopment was strong.

Almost without exception, people said they loved the look and even the sound of the new road and it had instilled a new sense of pride in Rockhampton's CBD.

But the comments did raise another issue.

It would seem most were not keen on plans to revert Quay St to two-way traffic, preferring it to stay just as it is.

Cr Strelow said there had been some thought given to leaving the road one-way, but first the public would be consulted.

Quay St Strelow. Picture: None

Lauri Blue Rutherford I personally love the look Council is trying to achieve along our river, teething problems occur in any project. I love sitting down there with a coffee of a morning when I can.

James Harrison I love the cobblestone feel and sound. Like others have said there will always be the knockers, surprising considering the money was spent mostly locally and to increase the local infrastructure that is accessible to all of the Rockhampton community.

Nikki Nolan I love it. Best facelift rocky has done for decades. I love walking from the old wharf to the southside pool n back. And i love it at night too. I think its great to use it for markets and river festival etc. I just reckon keep it 1 way traffic

Anthony Vize The granite Quay Street pavers are a great addition to boring bitumen roads. Your council has acted very courageously to have a go .....be creative - make a couple of mistakes. Rockhampton riverbank has a new look and a new feel under mundane traffic. If the paved roads made of granite a a bit rough - who really cares? The Roman chariots and their their shoed horses could handle the ancient roads of Rome but our $75,000 dual cab 4X4 are getting all battered and bruised

Briella Marshall You are doing a brilliant job of making our City more beautiful. Yes, there are set backs. But I'm sure the come back will be bigger than the setback.

Dale Simpson People don't understand how troubleshooting and rectifications work. Takes time. Not a one week problem, just be patient people, it'll get fixed

Jeff Goodwin I have not been to Rocky for a while - was visiting Sat and Sunday to photograph a wedding and visit my daughter Sam and her family. I have to congratulate the city council for a magnificent job on the Riverbank with "The Boathouse" and the beautiful water features and more!!!! I also drove past Kershaw gardens and noticed some big coloured leaves - is that going to be a playground etc? East street is now busy with cars and foot traffic galore and those trees along east street provide a beautiful shaded canopy!! You should be very very proud- Rocky is looking fantastic!!!!

Originally published as Mayor rejects calls to remove cracked Quay St granite pavers