Rainbow Beach goes underground

The undergrounding of power along the main street of Rainbow Beach is running to schedule with the trenching and laying of conduits, and the installation of new street lights set for completion before the start of the December school holidays.

Councillor Mark McDonald said that this work is a welcomed first step to improving the main street’s visual appeal.

“All the conduits will be underground by the start of the Christmas school holidays, but we will still need the power to be transferred underground, the power poles removed, and the Energex pillars (greenboys) installed before it can go live, and this is significant work that must be completed by Energex,” he said.

In an effort to avoid the peak tourist period, Energex will commence this work in February 2020 and it is expected that this work will be completed before both the Queensland and New South Wales Easter school holidays. 

The undergrounding of power along the main street of Rainbow Beach is the first phase in beautifying the street. Proposed streetscape works will focus on improving pedestrian access, incorporating additional on street parking (by filling in the central U-turn area), installing new street furniture, planting new trees and gardens, as well as creating a new central pedestrian crossing that will link both sides of Rainbow Beach Road. 

Council will be inviting feedback from the community on a number of the design elements associated with the next phase of streetscape improvement during the first half of next year. This input will be used to inform detailed design for the streetscape improvement works ahead of construction, which is expected to commence mid-late 2020.