Tweed Heads boardwalk permanently closed

06 July 2016

Cost of repair or replacement considered too high

A boardwalk along the Terranora Inlet (Southern Boat Harbour) at Tweed Heads will be permanently closed due to high cost of repair or replacement.

The timber boardwalk is at Keith Curran Park, adjacent to the Anchorage Island Canal Estate,

accessed from Island Drive.

For the past eight weeks the boardwalk has been closed while staff have assessed the costs

associated with a number of options for its repair or replacement.

The structure is presently considered unsafe. It was recently closed because the metal stirrups connecting the timber boardwalk to its supporting concrete piles had rusted away in many locations.

While it would be possible to reinforce the metal stirrups, the real issue is the settlement of the piles themselves. The piles are sinking into the soft tidal mud, leading to the boardwalk leaning and twisting, which is placing additional stress on its joints and timbers.

“Short term repairs (estimated at around $10,000) may have led to the structure being able to be temporarily reopened, but the pile problems would remain and have led to it being closed again in a relatively short space of time,” Council’s Waterways Program Leader, Tom Alletson, said.

Detailed investigations into the condition of the piles to assess whether or not they could meet safety standards and the boardwalk could be rebuilt on them would cost approximately $20,000, with an additional $150,000 or more required for reconstruction. Rebuilding the boardwalk on new piles would cost approximately $250,000. Replacing the boardwalk on an alternative alignment may be possible, however the costs of this would also be substantial (minimum $100,000), and would include the cost of removing the existing structure.

The cost of removing the existing boardwalk is estimated at $70,000.

“Council sincerely regrets the inconvenience and disappointment that the permanent closure of this asset will bring,” Mr Alletson said.

“Councillors were made aware of the issue at a recent workshop and were supportive of the officers’ recommendations.

“The costs of replacing the Anchorage Island boardwalk have been assessed relative the availability of funds for maintenance of Councils other waterways infrastructure, which includes among other items, 11 boat ramps, 5 canal estates and 18 jetties and pontoons.”

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Caption: A boardwalk along the Terranora Inlet (Southern Boat Harbour) at Tweed Heads will be permanently closed due to high cost of repair or replacement.