Brisbane City Council has appointed John Holland Pty Ltd to construct a $55.47m bridge providing a bus, bicycle and pedestrian link between Dutton Park and the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus.
Tenders for the Bridge were first called in February 2004 and suspended in April 2004 for a re-consultation process following the Brisbane City Council elections. The re-consultation found high community support for the Green Bridge and Civic Cabinet agreed to proceed with tenders.
A panel including independent consultants, representatives of the Brisbane City Council, UQ and Queensland Transport selected the preferred tender from a field of three, one of whom withdrew due to other commitments.
Bridge community liaison officer Ms Donna Marshall said preliminary activity had begun on the Dutton Park side of the river.
Activity on the UQ side of the river will commence next year, with an official commissioning of the bridge planned for early 2007.
Ms Marshall said a material stockpile area was being prepared on the soccer field off TJ Doyle Memorial Park Drive, Dutton Park. This involved fencing off the soccer field and removing topsoil to create a hardstand area.
She said some car parking spaces were being removed in the soccer clubhouse vicinity. Parking close to the ferry terminal at Dutton Park would not be affected at this stage. However, UQ staff and students are advised of the likelihood of more difficult parking in the Dutton Park area because of bridge construction work.
In late February a barge is conducting riverbed sampling to show the nature of soil and rock material within the riverbed before selection of appropriate construction methods. Some intermittent noise could be experienced during sampling work.
In March a temporary jetty will be built on the Dutton Park side of the river for use during construction. This will involve the use of large cranes and other construction equipment.
Ms Marshall said the company looked forward to working with local residents throughout the bridge construction to ensure works caused the least possible disruption to the community.
John Holland has established a construction information line at 1800 214 387 and an email contact: communityfeedback@bigpond.com for further information and for members of the community to provide feedback.
The University will provide information about the project and any issues likely to affect staff and students, as it becomes available.
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