As part of Huon Valley Council’s major Huonville Stormwater Upgrade project, works will start along Lower Skinners Creek from Monday 11 November 2019 and from this date the whole of the Skinners Creek Walking Track will be closed until further notice.

The works will involve channel widening, vegetation clearing including tree removal, gabion basket installation for structural support, and upgrades to the walking track.

Council apologises for any inconvenience that the short-notice closure of the walking track may cause.

“Our original project plan was to complete the construction of our new 1-kilometre-long Diversion Pipeline – which will be running through subdivision land between Sale Street and Main Street – first, before moving on to Lower Skinners Creek,” said Huon Valley Council Mayor Bec Enders.

The first lengths of the pipeline have been laid and to mark the start of works Cr Enders and General Manager Emilio Reale were on site to officially break the ground this week on Monday 4 November, joined by Senator Eric Abetz, Senator Jonathon Duniam and Jacquie Petrusma MP, as well as Huon Valley Council staff members Project Manager Malcolm Russell and Manager Asset Planning and Processes Sue McCarter.

“However, an unexpected delay in the manufacture of the pipeline parts means we have had to make a quick change in plans and start work on the Lower Skinners Creek section of the project instead to keep this project moving,” said Cr Enders.

“This means we are unable to provide the amount of notice for the Skinners Creek Walking that we would have liked, but works on the track need to start now to make sure we keep to the tight project deadline as set out in the grant deed from the Commonwealth Government.

“The upside is that the Lower Skinners Creek upgrades will be finished sooner than they otherwise would have.”

In addition to the Diversion Pipeline installation and improvements to Lower Skinners Creek, the Huonville Stormwater Upgrade project also includes channel widening and weed clearing for Skinners Creek upstream of Sale Street, as well as the replacement of the Skinners Creek bridge (as per the Design Concept):

• Section A – Diversion Pipeline: On hold until February/March 2020 until works on Lower Skinners Creek are done.
• Section B – Upper Skinners Creek: Works will start mid-November 2019 and take about three weeks to complete. Traffic will not be affected.
• Section C – Lower Skinners Creek: Works will start on Monday 11 November 2019 and during this time the whole Skinners Creek Walking Track will be closed.
• Skinners Creek Bridge Replacement: Expected to start on 6 January 2020 and be done by the start of school term on 5 February 2020 (dates subject to change). Light vehicles will still be permitted along Sale Street during these works via a bypass lane, however heavy vehicles will need to detour via Flood Road.

“We appreciate your patience and understanding while this project is underway,” said Cr Enders. “We will be providing regular updates on the project via our website and also on our community noticeboards to let you know how each section of the project is coming along and what diversion routes may need to be taken, as well as expected timelines and finish dates.”

Together the improvement works for each section will increase the capacity of Huonville’s drainage system and allow it to handle extra flows during high rain events as well as the Annual Exceedance Probability 2090 – an extreme rain event that has a 1 percent chance of occurring any given year. This will provide better protection for low-lying areas in the long term as we head into a changing climate and the risk of flooding increases.

For more on the Huonville Stormwater Upgrade project, including background information and progress updates, please visit the Have Your Say project page or call Council on (03) 6264 0300.

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