Serpentine Reserve BMX Track Update

Recent work to remediate (clean up) the soil uncovered small amounts of friable asbestos (soft, crumbly or loose fibres) underneath the track surface.

Following identification of friable asbestos-containing material within subsurface soils at the site, contractors paused works while safety controls and remediation methodology were reviewed and SafeWork SA was notified.

Although friable asbestos requires stricter management controls than bonded asbestos-containing material, expert advice provided to the council indicates the potential health risk to the general public is likely to remain low, given the material was identified below the surface and airborne fibre monitoring undertaken during works has reported concentrations below laboratory reporting limits.

We also confirm that:

• the majority of asbestos-containing material identified to date has been bonded (non-friable) asbestos
• visible asbestos-containing material identified on the surface has been removed as part of remediation works undertaken to date
• the friable asbestos-containing material recently identified was located beneath the soil surface, not on the surface
• the site remains securely fenced with warning signage in place
• airborne fibre monitoring and soil investigations are continuing.

Onsite work will start again on Tuesday 12 May 2026, with a continuation of soil remediation, soil testing and disposal of all the dirt jumps soil from the site.

Once that’s been completed, we’ll bring in new, certified clean soil to rebuild the BMX track from scratch. The design will be the same one that was endorsed after community engagement last year.

The track is still anticipated to reopen in mid-2026, and we can’t wait to see the community hitting the jumps again!

Until this work is completed, we have 23 other designated bike jump sites across the City of Onkaparinga for you and your family to enjoy, which you can find at onkaparingacity.com/bmx

We recognise the strong community interest in this project, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this important remediation work.

For those concerned about the potential health impacts of asbestos and for further information, resources are available at www.asbestos.sa.gov.au

We’ll continue to provide updates on this Your Say Onkaparinga webpage as works progress.

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact our Customer Relations team on 8384 0666 or mail@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au.