With the busier holiday months behind us, we're starting works on stage 2 of the Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan project.
From Monday 21 February 2022, we'll be onsite at Walker Street to prune the lower branches of the magnificent Brush Box trees that line the western side of the road. Once the trees are trimmed, we'll begin work to install the new footpath and other traffic calming infrastructure to create a safer and pleasant environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.
Stage 1 of the Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan was completed last year, and Stage 2 will build upon the works already completed to improve safety and accessibility for our community. The Stage 2 upgrades include:
- a new pedestrian path along the western side of the street
- an upgrade of the pedestrian crossing at Coles and footpath upgrades on the eastern side from the crossing at Coles to the Short Street intersection
- pedestrian and road safety improvements at Short Street
- flattening of the steep parking lanes in Walker Street
- construction of a new roundabout and raised pedestrian crossing on the Lilyvale and Walker Street intersection.
Works on the Helensburgh Stage 2 Streetscape Masterplan are expected to finish by June 2022, pending weather conditions.
Transport for NSW manages speed zone changes on our road network and have expressed support for the Helensburgh Town Centre becoming a 30km/h speed zone. These changes to speed zones will be looked at once stage 2 works are complete. We'll continue to work closely with Transport for NSW to communicate any future changes to residents as they occur.
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said that the work planned to improve Walker Street will make a big difference to the enjoyment and safety for Helensburgh residents and visitors.
"Last year, we expanded the scope of works for Stage 2 of the masterplan project to include some additional upgrades to areas that we felt also needed attention such as the flattening of the steep parking lanes on Walker Street," Cr Bradbery said.
"Right now, the parking lanes along Walker Street are too steep and make parking challenging as the road forces residents to park their cars further from the kerb and closer to traffic. Part of the Stage 2 upgrades will look at flattening and improving the road, which will have a big impact on the experience of people visiting the Helensburgh Town Centre.
"Council has a long-term vision for the Helensburgh Town Centre, and it's one that has been guided by our community every step of the way. It's exciting to get to the next part of the project which involves making important upgrades to our town centre so that we can bring this vision to life."
There will be intermittent disruptions to parking and detours during the works, but access to Short Street and Walker Lane will be retained at all times. Traffic control will be onsite to support drivers and pedestrians sharing the space and we ask that everyone drives to the conditions.
One of the parts of the project that we know interests our community is our work to preserve the important Brush Box trees that line Walker and Parkes streets. Council has a plan to preserve and protect all the trees now and into the future and to achieve this, we've carried out detailed aboricultural investigations.
"Our magnificent Brush Box trees are an important part of the Helensburgh town centre identity, and we know our community values their beauty, shade and character," Cr Bradbery said.
"The Brush Box trees we know and love today were likely planted in the 1940s-50s and they form part of a memorial to those lost in World War 1. It's important that these memorial trees are protected for our community to remember and honour our past.
"As part of the stage 2 works, we'll be pruning the lowest branches of the trees to improve sight lines and allow better sunlight access to the western side of the street."
Some of the roots will also be removed to install the footpath. The amount of tree roots to be removed has been determined by a qualified arborist, meeting Australian Standards, to ensure we cause minimal impact to the trees.
For more detailed information visit our Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan project page on the Our Wollongong website.
A memorial to Fallen Soldiers
Did you know that originally 12 Sugar Gums were planted on Arbor Day in 1934, as a memorial to those lost in WW1? Over time, the original trees died and were replaced in the 1940s and 50s with the Brush Box that we enjoy today.
Stage 3 – Walker Street Western Terrace
Stage 3 for the Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan will involve upgrades to the Walker Street Western Terrace with a new accessible ramp and set of stairs next to the crossing at Coles. We've worked closely with our community to develop the final design for this work. Stage 3 works are expected to begin towards the end of 2022. We'll let our community know more about this stage of works once we get closer to starting.
