By Casey Neill
Dandenong’s Walker Street will soon have a fresh new look.
Greater Dandenong Councillors awarded the construction contract for stage one of a streetscape upgrade at the Monday 26 February council meeting.
Blue Peak Holdings is to complete the $951,935 project, which will include a full width granite paved surface similar to Lonsdale Street.
The upgrade will also include new street furniture, street lights, street trees, planted garden beds and utility pit lids to match the style used in Lonsdale Street and throughout the central Dandenong activity centre.
Cr Matthew Kirwan said he and former councillor John Kelly put up budget bids for the works a few years ago.
“So it is great we are going ahead with the construction of stage one,” he said.
“Walker Street is now a significant spine around which much of the Revitalising Central Dandenong project is based so this will make a big difference to the experience of pedestrians using this street and to the retail businesses fronting it.”
Cr Kirwan said stage one was between Dandenong Plaza and Langhorne Street, with stage two to follow between Langhorne and Lonsdale streets.
The council initially awarded the contract to Canteri Brothers in January, but Cr Kirwan said the company was unable to take on the work.
He said this was a setback “but Blue Peak has scored highly and will be engaging a specialist paving sub-contractor to achieve the high quality finish we require”.
The upgrade aims to strengthen the visual and physical connection between Lonsdale Street and the Dandenong Plaza Shopping Centre.
Stage two will be delivered next financial year subject to receiving council funding through the budget process.
