Recovery efforts reach significant stage after 2022 floods

A contract has been awarded to rebuild a stretch of hinterland road that was significantly damaged by wild weather.

Hazell Bros will oversee the reconstruction of part of Schreibers Road at Cooran. It represents the last major recovery project after parts of the region were flooded in 2022.

An existing culvert will be replaced by a new bridge in a plan to protect critical water main infrastructure from future severe storm damage.

Acting Noosa mayor Brian Stockwell said funding by Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Queensland Betterment Fund would help deliver more resilient infrastructure for the shire.

“The water main is a key part of our shire’s water supply infrastructure so to be able to rebuild this asset to better withstand the impacts of future natural disasters is a great opportunity for our community,” he said.

Council CEO Larry Sengstock said the construction project was in good hands with chosen contractor Hazell Bros.

“This is a company with significant experience tackling complex and difficult construction projects, and they’re already working on the biggest of our flood reconstruction projects – the Black Mountain Road landslide repair – so they’re very familiar with the breadth of our reconstruction program,” he said.

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“The contractor also has the expertise and experience to avoid any disruption to Noosa’s water supply infrastructure during the construction process.”

Noosa Council has issued 11 tenders to rebuild more than 40 flood-damaged assets, with more than $90 million in contracts awarded to nine different principal contractors since May last year.

“We hope to complete the Schreibers Road project and other remaining flood recovery work by mid-next year,” Mr Sengstock said.

Significant rainfall and flooding in early 2022 caused extensive damage across Noosa Shire, including 31 landslides, with the repair bill totalling more than $120 million.

Work started on the largest project, the Black Mountain landslide repair, last year.

It’s the biggest single construction contract Noosa Council has ever awarded. The landslide is as wide as a rugby league playing field and as deep as a five-storey building.

“Noosa Council acknowledges the assistance provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements,” Mr Sengstock said.

“As well as repairing significant damage to major infrastructure across our shire, these projects are bolstering our resilience to future flood and storm events, plus creating a boost to the local economy, especially in the hinterland area where most of the contractors and subcontractors are working.”

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