IPSWICH is gearing up for a construction-packed year, with bulldozers, builders and tradies set to roll out across the city in 2026 as the Ipswich City Council pushes ahead with a sweeping program of upgrades.
From major roadworks to sporting hubs, footpaths, flood fixes and heritage repairs, the city is bracing for a year of visible change – and plenty of it.
Mayor Teresa Harding said residents would see cranes and crews in action, alongside critical but less-visible works designed to future-proof Ipswich.
“Some of the projects will be easy to spot, while others are essential work people never see, but together they demonstrate our commitment to supporting every part of our community as we plan for the future,” Mayor Harding said.
At the top of the agenda is transport, with millions earmarked to improve safety, accessibility and flood resilience across the city’s roads and footpaths.
The headline project is the $15.8 million Fischer Rd upgrade at Ripley, transforming the stretch between Nevis Rd and Monterea Rd into a two-lane urban road. Preliminary works are already underway, with full construction to ramp up during the year.
Footpaths are also getting a major lift.
In Redbank Plains, Stage 1 of the $270,000 Willow Road ATAP Footpath project will widen and upgrade the footpath between Willow Rd and Keidges Rd, improving safety for school students and pedestrians.
Ipswich Central will see Stage 2 of the Bremer Street Footpath project deliver a new shared path and boardwalk along the northern verge between Bell St and Ellenborough St.
The $1.03 million project is currently in planning and design, with construction scheduled for next year.
More upgrades are coming to Coopers Rd at Willowbank, with a $1.59 million footpath, kerb and channel project in concept design, while the Strongs Rd bridge will be replaced in a $4.5 million safety and reliability upgrade.
Old Logan Rd in Camira will also undergo $510,000 worth of pavement reconstruction.
Sport and community facilities are big winners.
The largest project on the books is the $40 million Stage 1 modernisation of the North Ipswich Sport and Entertainment Precinct, already under construction.
The upgrade includes a new western grandstand, improved change rooms and upgraded field lighting.
Goodna will see multiple improvements, including a $156,000 irrigation upgrade at Evan Marginson Park, $436,000 for new lighting at the second green of the Goodna Bowls Club, and an $80,000 redesign of the shade sail at the Goodna Aquatic Centre.
Netball players are also set to benefit, with courts at Limestone Park in Ipswich Central to be resurfaced in a $4.7 million upgrade.
“We’re investing in the spaces where people come together with upgraded grandstands, resurfaced netball courts, irrigation and lighting for sports fields, and fresh shade sails at pools,” Cr Harding said.
Environmental works will also be front and centre, including a $3 million flood detention basin upgrade at Marburg and $770,000 worth of drainage rehabilitation along Campbell St in Woodend.
A $124,000 pilot program will install water-smart street trees across selected locations to capture stormwater, cool streets and green the city.
Ipswich’s history is not being forgotten either, with $270,000 set aside to refurbish the iconic Incinerator Theatre, including repairs to its historic chimney and electrical upgrades to the nearby Jean Pratt building.
Mayor Harding said the mix of city-shaping projects and smaller local upgrades showed Council was determined to leave no suburb behind as Ipswich continues to grow.
