14 July 2011
Massive Gates Mark Final Stage of Critical Flood Project
Four huge tidal gates were installed today at Patterson Lakes in Melbourne’s outer south-east. The gates are part of an $18M flood protection program and will play a crucial role in minimising the risk of flood for the water-front community.
The four tidal gates, each weighing 20 tonne and measuring 8x10 metres, were shipped from Tasmania and arrived at Port Melbourne at 3.30am to begin a police-escorted rolling road block to where they were installed at Runaway Bay in Patterson Lakes.
Melbourne Water General Manager – Waterways, Chris Chesterfield said that the arrival of the final tidal gates represents a big step towards the completion of this crucial project.
“The gates we’ve removed from Patterson Lakes were over thirty-years-old and were at the end of their safe service life.”
“These new gates will be able to provide flood protection for up to a 1-in-100-year storm.”
Melbourne Water started this project last year and has already replaced gates at Whalers Cove West. Work is currently underway at Runaway Bay, Town Centre and Whalers Cove East.
“With projects of this scale there is often some level of inconvenience for locals, and we want to thank the community for their patience and support during these works,” said Mr Chesterfield.
“Ultimately, I think people know that this is very important work and absolutely necessary to keep homes and people safe in heavy storms and flood events and offer boating access to the canals which is a key feature of the Patterson Lakes area.”
The gates were craned from the trucks and will be lowered into position within their channels. The final installation is due to be completed over the next nine weeks by a dedicated team of engineers and trades people.
The program of works at Runaway Bay and Town Centre is due for completion earlier than expected and should be open for boat traffic by the middle of September. The Whalers Cove eastern channel is expected to be reopened in late October.
Media Contact: Stephanie Julian (03) 9235 1587; 0467 716 182