The Loop Road at Paluma is finally getting a face lift.
Anyone who has visited McClellands’s Lookout and the various walking tracks via the Loop Road in recent years will have noticed that the margins of the roadway were looking very much the worse for wear. The old wooden sleeper retaining walls along the roadway were mostly collapsed, termite infested and dilapidated. Old sleepers, soil and vegetation were strewn along the roadside and not only was this very unsightly, but the drainage of stormwater from the roadway was impeded during heavy rainfall.
The work being undertaken at the Loop Road includes the installation of a new retaining wall made from steel posts, concreted into the ground along a concrete base and drainage channel. A permanent retaining wall of concrete ‘sleepers’ is being erected between the steel posts.
This appears to be a great solution to what has been one of Paluma’s less attractive spots and an ongoing maintenance problem. The new retaining wall will be a termite proof, permanent and attractive solution, at the same time managing drainage and water flow from the roadway.
Contractors for Townsville City Council are undertaking the upgrade works and be aware that the northern end of the road is closed to vehicles during this work. The main car park and walking track to McClelland’s Lookout remain open.
Some views of the new retaining wall under construction are shown below.
Michele, thanks for posting this article on the much anticipated repairs to the retaining wall on Loop Road. In discussions with our local Councillor, Margie Ryder, this was highlighted as a top priority for action by the PDCA over the last couple of years. Many thanks to Margie, who championed this issue and was able to source funding for it from the $600 million Works for Queensland (W4Q) program that supports regional Councils to undertake job-creating maintenance and minor infrastructure projects.
Whose doggie photo-bombed the shot?
🙂
That is Roy, Michele’s dog. Jennie
Yes, that’s Roy Bird, the rescue dog from NSW (who much prefers living in tropical North Qld and Paluma!).I thought he was standing in a rather convenient spot so as to act as a scale for the photo in showing the height of the retaining wall. He was growing rather impatient with me for lingering in taking photos, when I should have been taking him for a walk!