Council lays the foundations for future footpath maintenance
Published on 24 November 2016
Rockhampton Regional Council has approved the Footpaths and Cycle Ways Asset Management Plan laying the foundations for ongoing maintenance across the region’s extensive network.
Council’s Infrastructure Committee Chair Councillor Tony Williams said the plan’s approach includes a framework for managing and scheduling works over the next 10 to 30 years.
“The document describes Council’s current position and how we’ll manage more than 200,000 metres of footpaths, including those along roads, parks, our shared footpaths, and kerb ramps,” Cr Williams said.
“This is the first time we’ve had a solid plan and a way forward, and it’s something that will now lay the foundations for future maintenance work.”
Cr Williams said while footpaths weren’t as high profile as other parts of Council infrastructure, they were still valuable assets needing ongoing care and attention.
“Footpaths link major infrastructure across our region from schools and hospital to public transport and business hubs. They also link and weave through our parks and recreational areas giving people better access to the great outdoors – they serve our community very well and will always need attention,” he said.
“The plan indicates current projections of about $20.5 million should be invested into our footpaths to renew, maintain and expand the network, so it becomes a balancing act to determine the priority paths, which ones the community uses most, and then weighing up the costs involved to get the best bang for buck for our residents.
“At the moment more than 80% of the network is in a fair to excellent condition, but we still need to ensure our footpaths and cycle ways remain safe and accessible so that residents and visitors are connected to key infrastructure and can engage in a healthy lifestyle.”
The next 12 months will see the following priority projects and footpaths maintained:
- Talford Street Albert Street to North Street
- Thozet Road-Dempsey Street to Rockonia Road
- Richardson Road-Norman Road to Bruigom Street
- Kerrigan Roundabout - Underpass of Kerrigan St
- Haynes St-Richardson Rd to Harriette St
The Footpaths and Cycle Ways Asset Management Plan will be reviewed again in 2020.