Port Pirie Regional Council is situated on the upper reaches of the Spencer Gulf in the Southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia. The 1,761km² council’s boundary is home to 17,000 residents, 10,000 properties and 1,300km of roads.
The Port Pirie Central Business District Upgrade project was designed to revitalise the Port Pirie City Centre and its environs with the aim being to revitalise the public realm and retail environment to support local businesses and the community.
McMahon Services was awarded the contract to deliver Stage 1 of the works which occurred predominately on Alexander and Florence Streets. Initial works included demolition and appropriate disposal of existing kerbing, footpaths, spoon drains, ramps, trees, vegetation, street furniture and asphalt. Demolished waste included 6,300m² of bitumen and 1,000m³ of concrete.
Stormwater works included 400m of reinforced concrete pipe 300mm to 900mm in diameter, the installation of over 300m of 100mm to 225mm diameter PVC pipe, 12 double side entry pits, two single side entry pits, six junction boxes and the installation of twenty pits.
Concrete kerbing works totalled over 2,000 lineal metres and included the construction of kerbs, gutters, concrete plinths, flush kerbs, median kerbs, semi-mountable kerbs, driveway crossovers, spoon drains and 27 pram ramps.
Over 5,600m² of asphalt was laid, of which 3,500m² was deeplift. 1,650t of asphalt was used on the project and more than 3,500m² of footpaths were constructed.
Street furniture included the supply and installation of 24 seats, 37 bollards, six bins, eight bike racks, six banner poles, one drinking fountain, new signage and the reinstatement of existing signage, laser cut street signs applied to roundabouts, and stoneset
tree surrounds with aluminium edge frames.
Landscape works totalled 1,000m² and included the planting of over 3,500 plants, 47 trees and 13 palm trees with an average height of 5m. Over 2,000m of irrigation piping with five control boxes were installed to regulate the supply of water to the plants.
Other works included service locations, line marking, installation of ten new light poles and one switchboard, and the laying of 300m of electrical conduits.
A staged approach was adopted to maximise traffic and pedestrian access. All affected businesses were provided with advanced communications and notice of works at all times.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Key to the success of the project was the collaborative approach adopted between Port Pirie Regional Council and McMahon Services on strategies and plans for engaging with and managing community and stakeholder expectations. Project Manager Gary Fitzpatrick presented to all key stakeholders on how the works would be conducted and staged, and how disruptions to traffic and pedestrians would be minimised.
Project updates were communicated on an ongoing basis, and included planned road closures and night works. These were communicated with Port Pirie Regional Council during weekly coordination meetings, who then broadcast this information to the public via various mediums including local radio, local television advertising and through the Council’s Facebook page.
