Marvel Engineers was engaged to develop the City of Karratha Footpath Strategy 2025–2035. The strategy provides a practical plan for pathway infrastructure investment that enhances connectivity, promotes safety, and fosters sustainability.
To achieve this overarching vision, the following project objectives were established:
- Improve the safety, accessibility and connectivity for footpath users within and between residential, commercial and recreational areas, including areas of high pedestrian activity.
- Provide safe access to key destinations for high‑need community members.
- Develop a works program, including an implementation schedule and associated costs, for new footpath infrastructure over a 10‑year period.
- The objectives of the strategy will be achieved through an annual rolling works program. The strategy will also be reviewed every two years.
Georgia O’Connor was the Active Transport and Footpath Strategy Lead for this project.
The Marvel team was based in Brisbane and had not yet visited the City of Karratha. However, strong collaboration with the client helped bridge the geographical distance. The strategy also identified opportunities to enhance connectivity across the footpath network in each of the six towns, highlighting areas for future improvement.
Working collaboratively with our client
The Marvel team conducted extensive research on each town and produced a background document for the City’s review. The document covered town demographics, supported by census data, and existing attractors. It also included attractor rankings and relevant City strategy documents guiding the footpath strategy.
This information was reviewed and verified by the client, who provided local knowledge to support or challenge early assumptions. This occurred before the footpath strategy was developed in earnest.
The approach reduced rework and supported a collaborative working relationship with the City.
The Marvel team also commenced mapping exercises early to visually demonstrate existing footpaths and network gaps across the six towns. This enabled early agreement on how information would be displayed. It also assisted in developing the evaluation criteria and implementation schedule for missing links.
Overcoming these challenges required regular communication with the client, including fortnightly progress meetings and interim mapping submissions. Detailed research at project commencement, undertaken with the City, gave the Marvel team a strong understanding of each town. This allowed the strategy to be tailored to each community’s needs.
Delivering a comprehensive plan
Ultimately, this collaborative approach delivered a comprehensive plan for footpath upgrades across the six towns. It included a prioritised implementation schedule for the next 10 years and beyond. This ensures every street has a footpath on at least one side.
The strategy provides local residents with transparency and confidence that upgrades are delivered in a fair, consistent and needs‑based manner.
For projects like this, site visits are always preferred to better understand the existing network and connect with communities. When budgets don’t allow for travel, thorough research and close client collaboration become critical. This ensures local context is well understood.
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