Sutherland Shire Council is about to embark on one of its biggest projects ever, spending more than $18.3 million to add 140 new parking spaces in Cronulla by Christmas.
The Cronulla project will provide two additional levels to the existing car park on Croydon St and another multi-storey car park of equal height on the open car park currently next to it.
As well as extra parking there will also be office spaces and a new library. The new library will be double the size of the existing one in Surf Rd, with state-of-the-art equipment fitted throughout.
Funding of the project is to be drawn from Section 94 contributions, the council’s property fund and general revenue, money that was included from an existing allocation and $8 million that the council will borrow.
Construction is expected to start in mid-July with the carparking facilities to be ready for Christmas. A halt to work will take place during the Christmas shopping period to minimise inconvenience. The rest of the work is due to be completed in November 2008.
Tom Ugly’s Bridge reopening in August
The three-year upgrade of Tom Ugly’s Bridge is coming to an end with an expected re-opening at the end of August. The familiar plywood cover, needed to stop sandblasted paint flakes falling into the Georges River, has been removed – a clear signal that the work is all but done.
Works carried out during the upgrade included repainting, repairs to steel plates and maintenance. Once the northbound bridge has been reopened, with three lanes operating, similar work will begin on the southbound bridge.
The RTA confirmed that both bridges would return to three lanes in August when maintenance work begins on the southbound bridge.
The upgrade of the southbound bridge is expected to last for 12 months. The northbound lanes on the southbound bridge will be used as a construction lane while the upgrade is being carried out, with cyclists having to use the footpath when crossing the southbound bridge.
Aged care centre for Engadine – construction to start in 2009
Construction of a new aged care centre in Engadine seems unlikely to start until late in 2009 due to the Sutherland Shire Council’s finance committee splitting the project into two parts after the failure of two competitive bidding processes in 2005 and 2006.
The council put the project out to tender in 2005, however a report to the committee said the complexity of combining community facilities with aged care had put some interested parties off.
While the tenure for the site was long enough, it was considered too complex with the community looking for more simplicity and flexibility. Consequently, the community facilities will be put out to tender first with a separate tender for the aged care component
This change of strategy will provide potential partners with more flexibility in their design. The council hopes to start the community facilities halfway through next year, which includes a multi-purpose hall.
Shire beaches water levels high
A Beachwatch report has shown that beaches in the Sutherland Shire recorded the lowest levels of harmful bacteria, giving them a high water quality level for May.
Only 10 millimetres of rain was recorded in May. These dry weather conditions are considered the main contributing factor for top performers Eloura, North and South Cronulla, Oak Park and Shelly beaches. Generally after heavy rainfall, pollution on the land is transported to the sea, via storm water drains, resulting in higher levels of bacteria in sea water.
After the heavy downfalls we experienced last month, it’s expected that pollution levels recorded in June, will be considerably higher than May. Residents are advised to avoid swimming for 24 hours after heavy downpours, particularly like the ones experienced recently.
You should also avoid swimming if the water appears to be discoloured or has litter such as straws, food wrappers or if there are leaves found on the tide line.
Alfords Point Bridge finish delayed until 2008
The completion of the Alfords Point Bridge duplication appears to be running over time and over budget. The original time frame for completion was 2007, however a revised target has now been set at the end of 2008.
The cost of the project, $45 million, is just $4 million less than the Sea Cliff Bridge. The cost has been defended with the RTA stating that any previous estimates were given before the scope of the work was finalised and the tender process finished.
The delays to the project and cost blowouts have been attributed to a number of factors including rain; the number of suitably qualified road construction companies tendering for the projects; and a rise in the cost of road construction materials.
Despite the delays and rising costs the RTA believes there is no doubt that the new bridge will improve road safety and traffic flow. | 
