Work has started on Brisbane CBD’s newest stretch of public riverfront space

The transformation of Brisbane riverfront, directly opposite South Bank, is underway with two barges arriving in the South Brisbane Reach of the river this month and crews having now begun marine piling activities.

In 12 months from now when the work is complete, the area will be the first public space delivered as part of the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development.

The two barges are working in the foreshore south area between the Goodwill Bridge and the government tower at 1 William Street.

The barges are being used to construct a 450-metre-long above-water pedestrian Mangrove Walk, as well as to widen the narrow points of the Bicentennial Bikeway in that section, to create separated cycle and pedestrian paths.

Meanwhile, a new inner-city park, called Waterline Park, is also being created in the area behind 1 William St, underneath the Riverside Expressway.

In this new active recreational park a colourful art treatment is being applied to the underside of the Riverside Expressway which will provide an exciting makeover to the roadway columns and overhead areas over the coming weeks.

Destination Brisbane Consortium Project Director Simon Crooks said the start of public realm works will provide a highly visible series of activities along the riverfront.

“The first works are to construct temporary river-based work platforms and prune the existing mangroves before work starts on building the walkway,” Mr Crooks said.

“The Mangrove Walk will provide an alternative path from the Botanic Gardens to Queen’s Wharf, with interpretative integrated story-telling elements and additional mangrove plantings to rejuvenation the area.

“The barges will be used for piling work to construct the walkway structure, followed by crane work to lift pre-constructed sections of the Mangrove Walk into position.

“The contractor, Multiplex, is using the river as the main transport corridor and work platform to ensure there are less heavy vehicles on our CBD roads.”

Mr Crooks said the river’s edge construction works will occur over the next 12 months to enable Mangrove Walk and Waterline Park to open in the second half of 2019.

“These will provide new public areas to enjoy along the riverfront long before the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development is expected to open in 2022,” he said.

“They will be some of the new free public spaces that we are creating across our development, which will ultimately provide the equivalent of 12 football fields of new public realm in Brisbane’s CBD.”

To learn more about Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, visit www.queenswharfbrisbane.com.au and/or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/queenswharfbrisbane/