In November 2007, in partnership with the City of Greater Dandenong, the State Government of Victoria launched a $290 million initiative called Revitalising Central Dandenong. The initiative is being delivered through the government’s sustainable urban development agency, VicUrban.
The master plan details a 15 to 20 year vision for one of Victoria’s largest urban renewal projects. The CBD community is set to expand with new jobs, new homes and benefit from $1 billion of private sector development.
The upgrade of Lonsdale Street is one of the projects included in the initiative. Lonsdale Street divides the city and is destined to become one of Melbourne’s great boulevards featuring wider, greener and safer walking areas, with a bustling and diverse commercial retail district.
Feature lighting will illuminate the precinct at night and the boulevards will feature a colonnade of a total of 66 lighting poles housing LEDs of various colours to produce a composite spectacular rainbow effect.
Power for the street, footpath and seat lighting is supplied by an underground cable network, ensuring that plants and art installations are illuminated. New cabling was also established for the boulevard’s traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. Engineering firm Arup specified that all cable pits be durable and as visually unobtrusive as possible.
Polymer concrete from ACO Polycrete was used to create more than 300 pits and risers to pull the cable through, preserving the visual continuity of the pavement. ACO Polycrete’s Pavermate galvanised steel access covers were also installed. Pavermate access covers are rated to Class B80KN-AS3996.
Further information on Polycrete Polymer Concrete or Pavermate is available from ACO Polycrete.
