Mooloolaba’s old post office is set to be demolished as work gets under way to widen Brisbane Road to four lanes while an old tree in the roundabout on Tarcoola Avenue/Foote Street will also be removed.
Some properties have already been knocked down as part of the Mooloolaba Transport Corridor Upgrade (MTCU) which achieved a milestone when stage 1 was completed in April with the $8.5 million widening of Walan Street to four lanes.
The next phase with stages 2 and 3 will include the demolition of 32-24 Brisbane Road which is the former post office site.
This will enable the widening of Brisbane Road – the gateway to Mooloolaba – to four lanes, plus a new bridge over Mayes Canal and improvements to intersections and landscaping.
The busy Mooloolaba tourism precinct is expected to experience 31,000 extra daily car trips by 2041 on top of the current 60,000 daily drives that are already clogging up traffic.
The road widening is designed to reduce traffic bottlenecks in the increasingly congested precinct.
As part of the demolition, local contractors Murphy Builders undertook site establishment and early dismantling works from May 10, with building demolition earmarked to start on Monday 17 May.
“The project team will continue to liaise directly with adjacent businesses, residents and property owners about these works,” stated a Sunshine Coast Council public notice.
“Stage 3 includes an intersection upgrade of the Brisbane Road/ Walan Street/ Hancock Street to four lanes.
“To make way for these works, the property at 32-24 Brisbane Road (the former Post Office) will be demolished by local contractor, Murphy Builders between Monday 10 May and late June 2021.”
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Local councillor Joe Natoli said it was disappointing the big fig tree in the roundabout on Tarcoola Avenue and Foote Streets would have to go to make way for the two extra lanes.
While he supported traffic upgrades to prevent bottlenecks, Cr Natoli has raised suspicion about the council’s ‘motive’ behind the lane widening.
Cr Natoli said he suspected the roadworks was part of a council “agenda” to install light rail from Maroochydore to Kawana along that transport corridor.
He said Brisbane Road was being rebuilt wide enough to accommodate light rail while the bridge over Mayes Canal would be strong enough to withstand the weight of light rail.
“You don’t build to the capacity for light rail if you don’t have something else in mind,” said Cr Natoli.
The Sunshine Coast Council recently released a draft Options Analysis report for public feedback which outlines a number of options for a mass transit system in the future, ranging from a corridor for electric buses to trackless trams and light rail.
A council spokesperson said the Options Analysis stage had not yet progressed to the stage where the alignment could be fully considered.
“The next stage – the Detailed Business Case – will be where the mass transit alignment is fully considered,” said the spokesperson.
“The current upgrade of the Mooloolaba Transport Corridor Upgrade project is directed at better managing the movement of traffic in Mooloolaba.
“However, the design of the upgrade does not preclude the ability to accommodate a future mass transit system, should such a system proceed.”
Cr Natoli said he believed the Coast needed better public transport solutions but he was concerned about the possibility of higher-density housing along a future mass transit system corridor.
Council’s spokesperson said some trees and plants would be removed but, in balance, the completed project would include 234 new trees and 11,326 plants.
“The large fig tree currently on the Brisbane Road/Tarcoola Avenue roundabout must be removed to accommodate the new signalised intersection,” the spokesperson.
“Council investigated transplanting the fig tree, however due to its size, the high costs involved and the low chance that it would survive, it is not considered feasible.
“Additionally, this particular fig species, Hill’s weeping fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hillii) is not recommended for urban streetscapes due to its extensive surface rooting and capacity to damage infrastructure such as pipes, pathways, driveways and road surfaces.
“The existing fig tree is already severely misshapen due its branches being removed to avoid overhead power lines.”
Post office demolition
Demolition of the old post office will be undertaken between 6.00am and 6pm, Monday to Friday creating “intermittent medium-loud level noise”.
“The area will be fenced and dust mitigation measures will be undertaken,” the council notice states.
“Where possible, demolition materials will be recycled by the contractor as per council’s commitment to sustainability and to reduce landfill.”
Intermittent traffic management on Brisbane Road, Smith Street (south) and Walan Street will be required to permit large vehicles and machinery to safely enter and exit the
site.
To receive regular project updates throughout the construction period email your contact details to mooloolabatransportcorridorupgrade@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
For more information about the Mooloolaba Transport Corridor Upgrade project, visit Council’s website www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov/mooloolabatransportcorridorupgrade
