By Sonia Isaacs
MALENY’S Maple Street came to a near standstill on Wednesday, December 3, as simultaneous works by Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Energex brought the town’s main strip to a crawl leaving local traders reporting a “massive” impact on one of the busiest trading periods of the year.
Maleny Commerce spokesperson Rob Dodd said businesses were blindsided when Energex began major power pole works on the same morning TMR’s two-week drainage project had already diverted traffic around the town. “Between 8 and 10am, our trade was down by between 50%-80%. One café reported an 80% drop in coffee sales, and Maleny Food Co had only one customer at 10am, on what is normally a solid trading day,” Mr Dodd said.
Motorists were reportedly taking up to 40 minutes to travel from the police station to the IGA car park, with confusing detours sending vehicles up Teak Street which had been reduced to one lane due to Energex activity.
“It was gridlock,” Mr Dodd said. “Deliveries were delayed, truck drivers were furious, parents couldn’t get kids to school, and people missed medical appointments. Businesses are really concerned – this four-week period is critical for covering the quieter months. To have this happen now is devastating.”
Member for Glass House, Andrew Powell, said he understood the frustration and acknowledged the confusion about access to Maple Street, despite the street technically remaining open for business throughout the disruption.
“There was no communication between Energex and TMR on timing, which is why we’re all a bit cranky,” Mr Powell said. “It appeared people were so fed up they’d sat in a queue for 45 minutes because of the works in Teak Street. The Energex maintenance work contributed unexpectedly to the disruption.”
Mr Powell said he had instructed capital works teams to update and improve signage to ensure motorists were aware the business centre remained accessible.
“There’s never a good time to conduct major road work,” he said. “I want the works done quickly and reopened as soon as possible. In the meantime, I’m doing everything I can to mitigate the impact on businesses.”
Division 5 Councillor Winston Johnston said the Energex work “was a surprise to everybody,” adding he had not been informed and doubted council had been formally consulted.
“It’s not only poor planning, but it’s also a very poor time of year to be doing it,” Cr Johnston said. “If they did it in the quieter months… maybe a different time of year would have been better.”
Following Wednesday’s heavy delays, Mr Powell advised that Energex had completed its urgent works on Teak Street. TMR’s scheduled works on Beech Street will continue over the next two weeks with detours via Teak, Tamarind and Bean Streets. “Maple Street remains open for business as usual, and signage near the school has been updated to reflect this,” he said. “Thank you for your patience while these essential works take place.”
Mr Dodd said he was relieved to see traffic flow return to near normal on Thursday morning.
“There are no blockages into town now. The temporary bypass is operating smoothly, and people can get in and out,” he said. “Thanks to the public and retailers for your patience while the issue was resolved. Lesson learned – we need better coordination between departments.”
He also thanked Mr Powell for stepping in and helping facilitate communication.
“It’s back to business for us now, and we look forward to welcoming trade right up to Christmas and celebrating together at the Maleny Commerce Christmas Street Festival on Friday, 12 December 2025.”