Logan Enhancement Project

Description

The Logan Enhancement Project(LEP) involves widening sections of the Logan and Gateway Extension motorways, including improving key congestion hot spots and constructing new south-facing on and off-ramps on the Gateway Extension Motorway at Compton Road. LEP is made up of five components. It is an integrated transport solution that will unlock the economic potential of South East Queensland as well the business and freight hubs in Brisbane’s west and north.

The components include:

• Beaudesert Road and Mt Lindesay Highway interchange upgrade
• Wembley Road interchange upgrade
• Logan Motorway and Gateway Extension Motorway interchange upgrade
• New south-facing Compton Road ramps
• Widening of the Gateway Extension Motorway

LEP is the first private sector proposal to be assessed and approved under Queensland Treasury’s Market-Led Proposal process. Trans urban Queensland is financing 100% of the project. The project will support more than 1,300 direct construction jobs and generate around approximately $1bn in economic benefits for Queenslanders over 30 years.

Rating Highlights

Procurement - Pro-2

The CPB Contractors mandatory pre-qualification questionnaire is used as the basis for engagement with potential suppliers on sustainability and innovation. They are used in pre qualification meetings and discussions prior to contract award.

Potential suppliers are asked to provide details of their environmental and sustainability policies and its implementation, whether any major R&D innovations with clients were previously undertaken and savings/benefits achieved and whether any products/services that feature reduced materials, energy consumption or other environmental and social benefits were offered. Where suppliers have said yes, then they are asked if they would be willing to further engage with CPB on sustainability and innovation opportunities.

Ecology - Eco-2

Project enhancements to habitat connectivity.

The Project has sought to consider opportunities to improve existing fauna which include:

• Provision of a fauna land bridge (overpass) at Illaweena Street to provide for fauna connectivity between habitat areas
• Retaining and enhancing the existing Scrubby Creek underpass through rehabilitation works, provision of fauna infrastructure to promote movement opportunities, supported by a commitment to retain a minimum
• 2.5 m gap between lanes to facilitate light penetration beneath the Scrubby Creek Bridge
• Retaining and enhancing the existing Unnamed Bridge underpass north of Scrubby Creek through rehabilitation works and the provision of fauna infrastructure to promote movement opportunities
• Retaining and enhancing existing culverts further downstream along Scrubby Creek (beneath the Logan Motorway) through rehabilitation works and the provision of fauna infrastructure to promote movement opportunities
• Identification of locations for canopy bridges to provide connectivity value for arboreal species along the Logan Motorway and Mount Lindesay Highway.

Health & well-being - Hea-1

LEP has identified and addressed four priority community health and wellbeing issues:

1. Social support networks;
2. Independence and participation of community members;
3. Mental and physical health; and
4. Quality of environmental areas used for recreation.

The corresponding measures to contribute positively to these issues are (respectively):

1. A $2 million investment for design and construction of new Heathwood Community Centre;
2. Supporting Logan-based not for profit YSF through donations and participation in programs that empowers people experiencing disadvantage;
3. Enhancement of active transport network through more than two kilometres of new shared cycle and pedestrian pathways; and
4. Rehabilitation and stabilisation works in the environmentally significant Karawatha Forest.

A new bridge, connecting Illaweena and Acacia Streets over the eastbound service roads will improve connectivity and safety for pedestrians and cyclists by providing a dedicated user path.

Copies of media statements were provided noting:

Leeanne Enoch MP, described the shared path as ‘a great addition to the project that will improve road safety and travels times for all local road users” and ‘not only is the project a big win for local motorists, but cyclists and pedestrians will also share the benefits;’ and

Duncan Pegg MP described the path as ‘a valuable link for the cycle network for the community.’

Heritage - Her-1

The Aboriginal Parties to the project have participated in heritage studies and through their involvement, heritage values beyond those listed in the government registers have been identified, considered and assessed. Pre-construction cultural heritage investigations were undertaken with traditional owners involving hand scraping at 24 sites through the project corridor. This activity resulted in identification of approximately 200 items of cultural significance.

Sites at the Logan Motorway, Forest Lake, and the Mount Lindesay Highway, Drewvale, yielded the highest number of items, mostly silcrete or chert fragments that would have been used as tools by Aboriginal people. These finds will now be catalogued by Jagera Daran and utilised in a way which they deem culturally appropriate, for example, the artefacts may be documented and then returned to a keeping place.

Subsequent engagement with key environmental stakeholders through the LEP Environment Reference Group (ERG) has identified intangible cultural heritage and historic heritage relating to the significant environmental movement to protect Karawatha Forest from land clearing and residential development. The LEP team actively engaged with the ERG to determine more information about the history of these events and how the project may contribute to permanent interpretation of this heritage.

There is a grant application to Transurban Community Grants Program (closing date 5 November 2017) which seeks to further interpret, document and share this social history.

The grant will provide for:

1. Preparation of a heritage interpretation strategy by cultural heritage expert;
2. Interpretive brochures (digital and paper) ; and
3. Digitising records

Note that the application was made by the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C) (a registered charity) in collaboration with the Karawatha Forest Protection Society.The verifiers are keen for an update on the project on this during the As Built rating.