Millar’s Creek Walkway in need of larger scale repairs

Dardanup Shire Council has moved to assure residents that work is continuing to fix a section of the Millar’s Creek walkway.

Issues with cracked bitumen on the walkway and a warped retaining wall were identified more than six months ago.

Upon further investigation the council’s engineering team realised that simply replacing a section of the wall would not fix a bigger underlying problem.

Shire president Mick Bennett said over time water running under the surface had carried the compacted soil away towards the creek.

“The walkway has slumped away because there is nothing substantial to hold it up,” he said.

“Council thought it would be an easy fix to repair the wall, straighten the path up and perhaps re-coat it — it was going to be a simple $30,000 fix.

“It wasn’t until we conducted further investigation — before spending any of the money — that we realised there was nothing holding anything up and we needed to go back to the budget.”

Cr Bennett said the walkway was important for people using the path for recreation and also as an access point for vehicles if there was a fire in the creek.

“It remains walkable at the moment but it needs to get fixed so fire trucks can use it if need be,” he said.

“I think there is also a hydrant access point along there so all of those things make it super important we get the work done.”

Council staff are in the process of seeking quotes for the repair works to be reviewed against the original budget for the project.

“Please be assured we are working towards a solution and completion of repairs as a matter of urgency, but we have a responsibility to ensure that we identify the best possible solution to the problem and not just a short-term fix,” Cr Bennett said.