August 25, 2015
Final costings for the Kingaroy-Murgon Rail Trail are close to being confirmed and Mayor Wayne Kratzmann is confident it will be built within its $1.4 million budget.
Mayor Kratzmann said today Council officers had been examining many options since they conducted five days of public consultation meetings about the Rail Trail in Kingaroy, Memerambi, Wooroolin, Tingoora, Wondai and Murgon in May.
Natural Resources portfolio chair Cr Kathy Duff and Council officers had also visited successful rail trails in Victoria to inspect different options at first hand.
The South Burnett will use its $1.4 million share of the $2 million the State Government provided for a Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail Trail to build the section from Kingaroy to Murgon.
The remaining $600,000 will be used by Gympie Regional Council to construct the Murgon-Kilkivan section, which is expected to be a horse riding trail.
Mayor Kratzmann said the most likely surfacing on the Rail Trail would be a packed earth mixture.
This would provide a smooth surface for pedestrians and cyclists that was weather-resistant, required little maintenance and was easy to repair if damaged.
Similar surfaces on Victorian rail trails had been very successful, he said.
Council officers expect this option will allow the 42 km Kingaroy-Murgon section to be surfaced for between $600,000 and $700,000.
A further $300,000 will be spent on bridges, and the balance on Rail Trail amenities such as picnic tables, signage, landscaping and parking areas at trailheads, along with some fencing where necessary.
The Mayor said erecting bridges along the trail would not be very expensive because they didn’t need to withstand the same heavy loads as road or rail bridges.
The footings of many former railway bridges were also still in place, so converting them to pedestrian bridges will not be difficult.
The Mayor believes annual maintenance costs on the Rail Trail will be negligible, too.
“We want to build a new recreational amenity for residents and visitors without increasing Council’s costs, so we’ve been considering different options about how to do that,” he said.
“An announcement will be made in due course, but I think most people will be pleased with the solution.”
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