The City of Launceston will this weekend seek tenders for the final stages of the redevelopment of the Launceston Transport and Road Safety Centre in Lawrence Vale Rd.
The centre first opened to the public in 1980, built inside an old water tank originally known as the Lawrence Vale Reservoir.
In the intervening four decades, it became a staple of children's birthday parties and family events.
Following a major landslip at the site in 2019, the Council proposed a multi-stage, $2.5 million redevelopment of the site, designed to transform the ageing community asset into a contemporary, fit-for-purpose transport-themed play centre.
Stage one works, which involved significant earth and drainage works to stabilise the site, were completed in 2022.
The second stage of work — the reconfiguration of the reservoir floor and construction of a stabilising retaining wall — was completed earlier this year.
The Council will tomorrow advertise a call for tenders for the third and fourth stages of the project, which comprise the construction of playspace elements for the facility and car park upgrades.
Depending on the outcome of the tender process and contractor availability, it's hoped the facility will re-open to the public in the first quarter of next year.
City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the redevelopment of the Launceston Transport and Road Safety Centre had been one of the most technically complex projects the Council had worked on in the past decade.
"The Council is excited to be nearing completion on the redevelopment of this much-loved community facility," Mayor Garwood said.
"We all know the nostalgia and popularity of the Road Safety Centre, which has become a staple of children's birthday parties in Northern Tasmania over many years and has often been booked out many months in advance.
"We're now calling for tenders for the third and fourth stages — which represent the final stages — of the redevelopment project, and that's an exciting position to be in.
"We thank Launceston families for their patience while we've completed the complex site stabilisation works which have been required for the redevelopment, and for their input into the community engagement processes around the fit-out of the facility.
"That feedback has been really valuable as we've been designing the playspace and other fit-out elements that we hope will give the facility a new lease on life and continue to provide fun and engagement to future generations.
"It's intended the new playspace will have the same theme and feel as the previous version, but with some significant and fun improvements.
"We're excited to be moving forward into the final construction stages and seeing the project open to the public next year."
