Contract awarded for second stage of stormwater project

Works to complete the upgrade of McMillan Street and Phillips Lane in Bairnsdale are a step closer after East Gippsland Shire Council awarded a contract for the project at its meeting on Tuesday, September 10.

The project will resolve the drainage issues for the land south of the Princes Highway in Bairnsdale.

Work will include reconstructing McMillan Street and the section of Phillips Lane from McMillan Street to the highway, including kerb, channel and drainage infrastructure.

The contract has been awarded to Cranes Asphalting and Bitumen Sealing for $3,188,263.87. As part of the project a new wetland will be built and landscaped with plants.

The volume of stormwater increases with any road sealing project; the wetland will capture stormwater during heavy rain and strip nutrients before the water enters the Gippsland Lakes.

The contractors will partner with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, traditional custodians of the land, in the wetland aspect of the project.

This partnership will facilitate cross-cultural knowledge sharing and understanding and create employment opportunities for indigenous people.

The wetland’s construction has been funded by a $465,750 Gippsland Lakes funding as part of the Love Our Lakes program of works.

The Australian Government is also contributing $1,670,531 through its Roads to Recovery program.

The project is expected to be completed in the 2020-21 financial year.

This project aligns with council’s East Gippsland Waterways Management Strategy and the East Bairnsdale and Lucknow Structure Plan.

Council will engage with neighbouring landowners and provide updates throughout the construction works.

Information will also be available to the broader community through council’s usual channels.