Article: Deck may do as river walk fixed

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From the Courier Mail click here!

Deck may do as river walk fixed

Deck may do as river walk fixed
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Craig Johnstone

February 02, 2009 11:00pm

THOSE trying to use the partially closed City Reach boardwalk may have to negotiate a temporary wooden walkway above the existing deck while repairs continue.

The boardwalk, a major city thoroughfare as well as a popular tourist destination, was closed suddenly last year after engineers discovered major structural faults.

The Bligh Government promised to rebuild the structure at an estimated cost of $10 million but said a section could be closed for up to two years.

Now it is considering re-opening public access via a timber path built over a 90m stretch of the boardwalk below the Admiralty Towers apartment complex.

Transport Minister John Mickel said the Port of Brisbane, which is responsible for the boardwalk, would begin load testing of the structure tomorrow to determine what needed to be done to ensure it was safe.

"Subject to the outcome of the load testing, it is envisaged that a temporary structure could be placed over the existing deck, which would allow public access in approximately three months," he said in a statement.

A spokesman for Mr Mickel said the timber walkway would sit above the concrete decking but be supported by the pylons of the existing boardwalk.

If it is built, it would need to handle large amounts of pedestrian traffic.

The boardwalk is also a designated Brisbane City Council cycle route.

Last year, the Port of Brisbane began fencing off sections of the boardwalk to stop what it describes as "people congregating in one area".

It then revealed that the concrete decking was not strong enough to handle the traffic using the boardwalk and the piles holding up the structure would need to be replaced.