Charles Sturt Council, South Australia, is celebrating the completion of three high priority laneway and pathway beautification projects.
The Crawford Lane revitalisation, at the gateway to Cooper’s Stadium, has come just ahead of the South Australian Government’s proposed $45 million injection into the world class multi-use sports ground.
The development of the City’s Hindmarsh Placemaking Masterplan was the perfect opportunity to re-think the design of the road and the current and future use of the space, which is both a business and entertainment precinct.
Mural art now adorns the walls, bespoke seating has the dual uses of enticing pedestrians to linger and is a traffic calming device, creative festoon lighting gives illumination (as part of Illuminating Hindmarsh) along with landscaping have combined into a classic example of a road transformed into a place for people.
A significant increase in cyclists using River Torrens Linear Park, prompted upgrades of $4 million along the route improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians, enticing even more cyclists to abandon their cars for the workday commute.
The reconstruction of 250m of the Hindmarsh Cemetery path, completed in March, has seen the path significantly widened by the formation of a suspended ‘bridge’ structure on the side of the River Torrens embankment.
Further safety improvements include handrails and balustrading along the river side, new lighting, and laying a sustainable and durable recycled wood plastic composite decking along the underpass.
The project presented several major challenges with difficult site access due to the embankment and adjoining roadways, ensuring the sensitive water body and significant trees remain protected throughout construction and ensuring all heritage requirements (working adjacent to the cemetery) were met.
The third project, a new mural on the Holbrooks Road underpass, was a collaboration between Aboriginal artist Shane Mankitya Cook and students from the adjacent Nazareth High School.
The collaboration provided the students with an Aboriginal cultural learning experience.
The mural not only brightens the space, it highlights the cultural importance of the river.
The underpass had previously experienced a high level of tagging and the mural was a positive way to change this and acknowledge the importance of Kaurna Lands and rivers.
