Rainbow Beach goes underground

The undergrounding of power along the main street of Rainbow Beach is running to schedule with the trenching and laying of conduits, and the installation of new street lights set for completion before the start of the December school holidays.

Key locations along the footpaths have also been prepared ready for the installation of greenboys (access points for Energex).

Councillor Mark McDonald said that until the power poles are removed by Energex, both the existing power poles and the new greenboys will be in place.

“Having both the power poles and the greenboys in place will create a few squeeze points along the footpath and unfortunately this is unavoidable,” said Cr McDonald.

“All the cables will be underground by the start of the Christmas school holidays, but we will still need the power to be transferred to the underground lines and the power poles removed before it can go live, and this is significant work that must be completed by Energex,” he said.

“Where possible, Council will temporarily move items such as bins or benches to help relieve any squeeze points caused by the poles and greenboys but unfortunately there will be limitations on what can be done.

“We are asking for the community’s patience and understanding during this time,” he said.

As a general guide, wherever there is an existing power pole, a greenboy will be installed. Energex will be installing the greenboys and it is expected that all the greenboys will be installed before the Christmas school holidays.

In an effort to avoid the peak tourist period, Energex will commence work in February 2020 to remove the power poles and transfer the power underground. It is expected that the works relating to the undergrounding of power will be completed before both the Queensland and New South Wales Easter school holidays.

The undergrounding of power along the main street of Rainbow Beach is the first phase in beautifying the street. Additional streetscaping works, including improving accessibility, installing new street furniture, planting new trees and gardens, as well as installing a new street crossing, are currently being designed.

Council will be inviting feedback from the community on some of the design elements associated with this next phase of work in early-mid 2020, with construction expected to commence mid-late 2020.

Stay informed! Council is inviting anyone from the community who is interested in staying up-to-date on the Rainbow Beach works, to sign up to its project mailing list. You can register at eepurl.com/gKjBrn.