The next stage of the Merimbula CBD bypass works will start on Monday, May 2 with the reconstruction of the central portion of the Palmer Street car park.
As from Monday morning the central area of the Merimbula Palmer Street car park will be fenced off and out of use for about eight weeks, Bega Valley Shire Council’s project engineer, David Buckley said, including the long weekend in June.
Mr Buckley said that the plan was to complete works from the new roundabout on Merimbula Drive through to Palmer Lane this year and that the car park work would be the next stage in the overall plan.
The new bypass road will cut across the southern boundary of the Palmer Street car park and will ultimately take out the recently built long-term car parking on the western side of Park Street. This area was piped, filled and sealed as a temporary car park providing 52 places at the beginning of the year and at the same time the sloping, gravel car park on the northern boundary of the parking area was sealed to provide 81 places.
“There are power pole relocation works, and curb works to be completed in the central Palmer Street car park area,” Mr Buckley said.
In completing this section first, Mr Buckley aims to maintain about two thirds of the car parking spaces in Palmer Street during the work which will include alignment of the new road.
The next section will be from the sewer pumping station in Palmer Lane to Wonga Street and is estimated to take between six and eight weeks.
“During September and October we aim to work from Wonga Street to the roundabout. That will give us November as a buffer.
“We’ve done a lot of consultation work with James Smith at the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce to minimise the impact to commercial businesses and the public,” Mr Buckley said.
Council has said that the Merimbula CBD bypass project will reduce traffic congestion within the Merimbula CBD and improve through-traffic movement.
Changed traffic conditions will be in place and several trees will be removed as part of the works.
