Having observed how our river edge infrastructure adapted, or otherwise, to the flood surge it is obvious that more adaptive systems are required.
Our case in point is the popular floating boardwalk linking New Farm to the City – half of which became the subject of a dramatic tug boat escort beneath the gateway bridges.
This proposition explores a way to replace this structure with a walkway that can be pulled apart and moved to a safer port until the danger has passed. By designing in this way we can ensure that our public investment results in a new walkway that is only out of action for a few weeks, not for a few years.
The design consists of permanent mooring points anchored to the river bed connected together by linked walkway sections – like carriages on a train.
Each mooring point is designed as a small headland, able to cope with flood inundation. The walkway lengths are able to grouped together making them easier to transport.
There are three steps to this:
1. Walkway lengths are unhinged and then ‘folded’ together beneath each mooring point.
2. Each block of walkway lengths are connected together ready for towing
3. The full ensemble is taken to one of the new ‘safe harbours’ built adjoining the River since the flood of ’11 and set up as the base for a disaster relief centre.
It could even be called the ‘Hislop Fenton Walkway’ after the tug boat drivers that so casually headed off into the surging river to guide the old walkway out to sea.
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Like the naming touch for the tug boat skippers….
Makes sense… we shouldn’t rebuilt a ‘brittle’ riverwalk. what gets rebuilt should last all types of floods. I’d like a foldable section that can link across to Kangaroo point – that way boats can still get past but there’s also a cycle and pedestrian friendly way to get from New Farm to K-Point.