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.

Description

Rocklea to Darra -Stage 1 is the 3km upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway between Granard Road, Rocklea and Oxley Road, Oxley.

Key elements of the upgrade include:

• Upgrading the motorway from 4 to 6 lanes
• Higher bridges over Oxley Creek, including 7 new bridges
• New southern service road connection from Rocklea industrial precinct to the Oxley commercial and retail areas
• New northern service road connection over Oxley Creek floodplain
• New traffic signals at the Suscatand Street intersection.

Project benefits:

• Providing safer access to and from the motorway
• Increasing the motorway’s capacity
• Constructing higher bridges over the Oxley Creek area
• Providing improved active transport facilities
• Providing better local road connectivity.

 

Rating Highlights

Climate Change – Cli-1Climate Change Risk Assessment and Cli-2 Adaptation Options

Highest possible score achieved for this category. A climate change risk assessment workshop was held with key personnel, a number of readily available climate change projections identified for the asset, and project related risks identified. One high risk was reduced to moderate residual risk after developing mitigation measures.

Materials – Level 2.67 achieved for Mat-1 Materials Footprint Measurement and Reduction

Achieved a 25% reduction in materials lifecycle impacts compared to base case footprint.

Key savings include:

• Asphalt and aggregates through reduction in pavement thickness
• Precast bridge structures (through use of winged planks and softer bridge spans)

Health and Wellbeing – Highest possible score achieved (Level 3) for Hea-1 Community Health and Wellbeing

Three priority community health and wellbeing issues were identified, and a set of corresponding measures developed to respond to these issues.

Management Systems – Highest possible score for Man-1 Leadership and Commitment and Man-2 Risk and Opportunity Management

Regular risk workshops have been held with relevant members of the project design team. Identified risks are incorporated into the project wide risk register.

Ecology – Highest possible score for Eco-2 Habitat Connectivity

Habitat connectivity-Increasing the width of current wildlife corridors and installation of fauna fencing to reduce risk of fauna mortality.

Innovation

Two innovations were achieved:1)LED lighting: 246 high efficiency LED lights along the length of the project alignment. The BAU approach for road lighting is the use of HID lights. The reduction in energy associated with LEDs vs HIDs is estimated at 20%(Queensland first).2)Winged planks: A new alternative design for short-span bridges that will result in material savings. The bridges using winged plank design were constructed using 118 deck units, as opposed to the 316 that would be required using the standard TMR approach. This results in a 57% reduction in concrete and a 54% reduction in the stressing strand steel required for the bridges (Queensland first).