Safety concerns bring Anchorage Island boardwalk closure

A timber boardwalk at Keith Curran Reserve in Tweed Heads has been closed to public access because of public safety concerns about the ageing structure.

It is believed the boardwalk, located on the northern side of Anchorage Island, was constructed in the early 1990s to enable users to walk out over the mangroves and provide access to public land in the Anchorage development.

A routine inspection of the boardwalk in April 2016 revealed several sections of the 200-metre-long structure have reached the end of their lifespan. As a result, the full length of the structure will be closed while Council identifies necessary repairs and considers available options, including:

o Renewing the existing structure

· Investigate the state of the existing piles and other structural components and their capacity to comply with current Australian Standards.

· If this review is favourable:

· consider options and estimate costs to renew the structure

· estimate how long the useful life of the structure would be extended by the repairs

o Remove and replace the structure

· Consider the existing structure’s purpose and identify options that would fulfil this purpose.

· The replacement structure might be different in form to the existing boardwalk.

o Remove the structure with no replacement

Public expectations, environmental and social values and budgetary constraints will be considered when assessing all three options.

As part of those considerations, Council would like to know the level of public use and invites feedback from the community. Click here to email your feedback.

For more information, visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/BoatRamps or phone Council on (02) 6670 2400.