Marion Council’s Hallett Cove boardwalk you can’t walk on goes back to drawing board
In scenes worthy of Yes Minister, Marion Council has revealed a planned Hallett Cove boardwalk has “no capacity for people to actually walk on the bridge”.
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It was supposed to be a iconic local boardwalk and even a tourist drawcard, but now the planned Hallett Cove boardwalk bridge has gone back to the drawing board.
Marion Council Mayor Kris Hanna has revealed the boardwalk’s design means people can’t actually walk on it.
“We had problems which council needed to consider, because a design had come to us with no capacity for people to actually walk on the bridge which of course doesn’t make sense,” Mr Hanna said.
“So now we are going through a redesign process.
“We have approved extra costs so we can get the job done. The engineering reports and environmental reports made it clear it is still the best option.”
Mr Hanna said the project is still on track to be built next year with two suspension bridges over the two gullies along the coastal walkway.
The work was supposed to be completed by July 2023 but Mr Hanna now says he hopes it will be ready by December 2023.
Following a council discussion of the issue Mr Hanna has posted a video online in which he sheepishly explains that the planned boardwalk cannot cope with people walking on it.
Mr Hanna does not state specifically why the design does not allow people to walk on the bridge.
A council spokeswoman the extra cost won’t be revealed as it is “commercial in confidence.” Asked specifically why the design does not allow people to walk on it, council chief executive Tony Harrison released a statement saying construction details were “considered in confidence.”
The main 50m suspended cable bridge was supposed to stand 25m high over Kurnabinna Gully and form part of Marion Council’s Coastal Walkway, replacing stairs.
Almost 3km of the walkway was closed in June 2019 due to safety concerns, but most has since reopened after engineering works.
About 30,000 people are expected to use the 8km walkway each year when it is fully reopened.
The project’s original $4.8m cost was to be equally funded by the council and the state government and form part of the government’s 71km Coast Park walk from Sellicks Beach to North Haven.
Mr Hanna noted finding a safe way to allow access over the gullies which go down more than 50m has been a challenging design problem.
The project includes new lookouts along the upgraded section of the walk. Beach access will be blocked at Kurnabinna Gully due to safety concerns about rockfalls.
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Originally published as Marion Council’s Hallett Cove boardwalk you can’t walk on goes back to drawing board
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