Council to consider funding for Transport and Road Safety Centre

Published on 08 December 2023

The City of Launceston will next week consider the funding required for the final two stages of a major redevelopment of the popular Launceston Transport and Road Safety Centre.

The Council advertised a call for tenders for construction of stages three and four of the redevelopment in October.

Stages three and four are the final stages of the redevelopment and include the internal fit-out of playbased and educational equipment, the construction of a new car park, and enhancements to lighting and

landscaping.

Stage one works, which involved significant earth and drainage works to stabilise the site, were completed in 2022. The second stage of work — the reconfiguration of the reservoir floor and construction of a stabilising retaining wall — was completed earlier this year.

City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the Council would consider investing a further $1.09m to complete the final two stages of the project, taking the total cost of the project to $3.8m.

"The redevelopment of the Launceston Transport and Road Safety Centre has been an exciting, but technically challenging undertaking," Mayor Garwood said.

"The centre has been closed since a landslip at the site in 2019, and the redevelopment has been a multistage process.

"As with a lot of projects worldwide, this redevelopment has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the contractor availability, logistical and supply chain issues, and the escalation in

construction costs associated with it.

"As a result, there is a discrepancy between the original budget for the project and the final anticipated cost.

"The Council will next week consider allocating $1.09m to complete the final two stages of work, which is intended to be funded through a Federal Government Local Roads and Community Infrastructure grant."

Mayor Garwood said the Council would formally review the project following its completion.

"The City of Launceston has a continuous improvement focus, and there will be learnings from this project that we will be able to apply to other infrastructure redevelopment projects in the future," Mayor

Garwood said.

"I look forward to discussion around the table next week about this important and popular community asset, as we consider the funding for the final stages of the redevelopment."