Project Description:
The Queensland Government is upgrading 11km of the Bruce Highway between Caboolture and Steve Irwin Way, as part of a $662.5 million project to reduce congestion and improve flood immunity. Split into two separate construction contracts, Acciona Infrastructure Projects Australia (ACCIONA) delivered Contract 1 between Caboolture-Bribie Island Road and Pumicestone Road, with a contract value of $150 million. Contract 1 involved upgrading the Bruce Highway from four to six lanes, as well as upgrades to creek crossings, improvements to entry and exit ramps at interchanges, and the installation of Smart Motorways technologies to improve safety and manage traffic flow. The initial IS Design Rating was delivered by Jacobs SMEC Design Joint Venture in 2019-2020. ACCIONA delivered the As Built Rating for Contract 1.
Key Achievements:
Exceeding the Queensland Government's Indigenous participation requirements and recognising the valuable contribution that First Nations People and Indigenous businesses offer, the project provided employment and supply chain training, skills development and business engagement opportunities. This achievement was recognised when the project/Contract 1 project team (TMR, Aurecon and ACCIONA) was named as a finalist in the Partnership category for the 2022 Queensland Reconciliation Awards. It was shortlisted for nurturing a positive relationship with Traditional Owners, the Kabi Kabi First Nation People, and providing employment and business participation opportunities.
Highlights:
- Highlights include: 25% reduction in lifecycle emissions through the use of EME2 for an extended design life for the road pavement, 15% recycled asphalt pavement content (RAP) in some asphalt mixes, 30-44% cement replacement in concrete mixes off a base case of 20%.
- Highlights include: 17% reduction in fuel and electricity consumption through value engineering reductions in haulage, construction lighting supplemented by renewables, an upgrade from HPS to LED street lighting, and the Queensland Government's commitment to source renewables via a Power Purchasing Agreement.
- Highlights include: 98% replacement of potable water with non-potable water. Almost all non-potable water was sourced from local sources, site compound roofs, ponding water on-site and sediment basins.
Acknowledgements:
The project team acknowledges the Kabi Kabi First Nation People and Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Bruce Highway Upgrade - Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way (Exit 163) (Contract 1) is located, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. In August 2021, a commissioned original artwork titled, 'Place of the Carpet Snake', was painted by local Kabi Kabi Elder, Melissa Bond. It tells the story of the carpet snake dreaming, which involves the meeting of two carpet snakes that carved their paths across Country to meet near the Caboolture River. The team engaged with an entirely Indigenous supply chain to incorporate this original Kabi Kabi artwork into a safety shirt, that was then gifted to employees on National Close the Gap Day in March 2022. The uniform served as a conversation starter, raising awareness of and pride in local connection to Country, promoting reconciliation and unity.
Acknowledgements:
The project team would like to acknowledge the support from local communities surrounding the Bruce Highway Upgrade - Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way (Exit 163) (Contract 1). The project also acknowledges Unitywater for partnering on an initiative that saw the project's cleared vegetation cut into logs by ACCIONA and offered to Unitywater as part of their Caboolture River Nutrient Offset Project. The logs were used to stabilise the existing riverbank, which in turn will allow vegetation to naturally re-establish and offset nutrient run-off in the catchment. Finally, a special thanks to Reclink Australia and Friends of Lagoon Creek Group Incorporated, who partnered with ACCIONA and the project to provide 11 Reclink trainees the opportunity to build and install 22 fauna nesting boxes of varying sizes for species in the Caboolture area, as well as our Site Supervisor Mr Scott Brown, who provided advice and guidance for trainees regarding what to expect during the interview process.
Testimonial:
"Our investment here will transform what has been one of the most flood-prone and congested sections of the highway into a wider, safer and more flood resilient carriageway." -- The Hon. Catherine King MP, Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. "With major construction for the first of the two contracts now complete, motorists are enjoying the significant benefits the project is delivering, with three lanes of traffic moving smoothly in each direction along this key part of the Bruce Highway." -- Mr Mark Bailey MP, former Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Minister for Digital Services "This is a fantastic milestone for a project that will deliver benefits to residents and communities in North Brisbane and the North Coast areas for generations." -- The Hon. Mark Ryan MP, State Member for Morayfield, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and Minister for Corrective Services
