Main City Levee upgrade to proceed to tender

The first stage of the city's vitally important levee upgrade project will go to tender within the next week.

The tender will be for stage 1 of the Main City levee upgrade. Stage 1 is the levee covering sections from Flowerdale to Wiradjuri Bridge, and, Copland/Kooringal roundabout to Kooringal Road cemetery (east side of Kooringal Road).

The decision to proceed to tender was approved by councillors at Monday night's January Council Meeting.

City of Wagga Wagga General Manager Alan Eldridge said releasing the project to tender was a great project milestone and a chance to allow the market to determine the cost of the project.

“Council has had conflicting advice on the cost of levee upgrade from independent experts,” Mr Eldridge said.

"By taking the project to market we will get a much clearer picture on how much the project will cost.

"This levee upgrade is one of, if not the most, important project for the city in decades.

"This project means long-term protection of homes, businesses and livelihoods, and for this, we need to get this project right from the get-go. The City of Wagga Wagga is not prepared to start works until we are very clear on the expected costing.”

Mr Eldridge thanked residents for their patience as Council worked through the complex process to get the project to tender.

"Staff have been working extremely hard in the background to ensure this project is executed properly and to the highest possible standard,” Mr Eldridge said.

“We also acknowledge that the city's ratepayers are making a significant contribution to the levee upgrade through a five-year special rate variation, which is another reason why we have to get this tender and process right.”

On Monday, Councillors also resolved to receive a report detailing options for further discussions that may need to be held with funding levee partners, a comparison of tenders received to original cost estimates and a timeline for future milestones.