Work is well underway on one of Brisbane’s biggest road upgrades. Today, the Lord Mayor inspected progress on the 650-million dollar Kingsford Smith Drive project, but it’s the recreational Riverwalk that has Council officials most excited.

George Carrington reports.

TRANSCRIPT

It’s all systems go on Kingsford Smith Drive, but today it was time for Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and Infrastructure Chairman Amanda Cooper to see the progress for themselves.

Cr Amanda Cooper, Infrastructure Chairman: “This is an important project for the city, it will transform Kingsford Smith Drive into a boulevard so will take it from four lanes into six lanes.”

The project has just reached a major milestone with the completion of river-based piling works.

165 piles have been drilled into the muddy Brisbane River bed to support the one-point-two-kilometre Riverwalk, as well as the widened Kingsford Smith Drive.

That hopefully means it’s not going anywhere.

Graham Quirk, Brisbane Lord Mayor: “To put that in perspective that’s four times as many piles as we used for the New Farm River Walk.”

The new and improved path to the city will provide more options for active transport for Brisbane residents and might even reduce traffic.

As well as the upgrade to Kingsford Smith Drive, Councillor Graham Quirk is planning to capitalise on the river city view with seven kilometres of pedestrian and cycle paths to create a leisure boulevard for Brisbane residents.

The Lord Mayor says his Council’s exciting upgrade should be complete by the end of next year.

George Carrington, QUT News.