Brisbane City Council, Kingsford Smith Drive Upgrade

The Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade was much more than a road project - it transformed one of the Brisbane’s most significant and historically rich routes into a vibrant urban corridor with the Brisbane River as the centrepiece. The upgrade involved widening the existing road from four to six lanes which reduced congestion along the corridor and improved local amenity and access for all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users. A key feature of the upgrade is the subtropical tree-line boulevard which creates a new entry statement to the city.

• More than 1.3 million pedestrians and cyclists have now used the 1.2km riverside Lores Bonney

Riverwalk.

• remodelled Cameron

Rocks Reserve with the

WW1 war memorial as its centrepiece (opened April 2019) • new Bretts Wharf plaza • new Recreation Hub – public pontoon with various freeboard heights to suit different sized vessels • six lane median-divided roadway.

Planning

In 2009, Council started planning the upgrade from Harvey Street, Eagle Farm to Breakfast Creek Road, Albion, to reduce congestion during peak hours and improve traffic flow and road safety. Delivery was planned in three stages with signalised intersections approaching and/ or exceeding capacity, traffic queuing and delays were a regular occurrence with minor traffic incidents causing long delays and extensive congestion on the surrounding road network.

Stage 1, between Harvey Street and Theodore Street, was constructed between January 2010 and June 2011. The road was widened into the centre median. The Stage 2 project extents were between Theodore Street and Riverview Terrace and Stage 3 widened KSD into the Brisbane River from Riverview Terrace to Breakfast Creek Road.

Feasibility studies for stages 2 and 3 started in 2009. Council investigated several options including six and eight lane road widenings, tunnels, intersection upgrades and viaducts. A multicriteria assessment was used to assess the various options. The assessment considered a range of factors including traffic congestion, public transport, road safety, amenity, visual impacts, flooding, environmental impacts, and cost. Between November 2010 and January 2011, Council shared its five preferred options with the community, requesting feedback. The shortlisted options were: 1. Retaining wall in the river 2. Partial upgrade – upgrading the corridor is sections 3. Elevated structure over the river 4. Double storey tunnel – (eight lanes) 5. Side-by-side tunnel – (eight lanes)

Having considered the range of factors along with community feedback, Council announced its preferred option in April 2011. Preliminary design of the

Stage 2 upgrade commenced while funding options were investigated for Stage 3.

In February 2014, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced that funding had been secured to upgrade KSD stages 2 and 3 as a single project. Council combined its preliminary design for Stage 2 with a concept design for stage 3 and developed a reference design for the combined KSD stage 2 and 3 upgrade. Council chose to deliver the project through a design and construct delivery model to capitalise on industry expertise.

The project outcomes have met all expectations including traffic congestion during peak traffic periods, a unique waterfront open spaces at Bretts Wharf and Cameron Rocks Reserve regenerating activation in these two previously under-utilised parks. The new Lores Bonney Riverwalk is a standout feature promoting active transport as well as walking, jogging and cycling. The rest nodes along the Riverwalk, as well as at Cameron Rocks Reserve and Bretts Wharf, maximise river and city skyline view opportunities.

Innovation

Geological conditions in the Brisbane River presented a number of design and construction challenges with structural piles being socketed into extremely low to medium strength rock with depths of very low to no strength alluvial river muds ranging in depth from zero metres down to 28 metres. The dip and strike of the river bedrock was extremely variable, with rock in some locations sloping steeply away from the road and adjacent piles 10m away being constructed into bedrock sloping back toward the road, in the opposite direction.

Having designed a retaining wall out in the Brisbane River, the next design challenge was how to bridge the very low strength river muds to support road pavements that were required to carry in excess of 75,000 vehicles per day without settling more An innovative design solution was adopted that included a cantilevered pedestrian and cycle path balanced by a backslab that supported the road. The first function of the backslab was to balance the bending load on the pile applied by the seven-metre reinforced concrete cantilevered pedestrian and cycle path. The second function and major benefit offered by the backslab was that it carried the load of the backfill and multiple layers of granular and asphalt road layers, thereby removing the need for extensive, time consuming and costly ground strengthening of the soft alluvial muds.

By far the dominant loads on the structural piles that support the widening into the Brisbane River, is the barge impact loading, based on a fully laden sand barge, as advised by the Regional Harbour Master, running off course and impacting the retaining wall. To withstand this load, the retaining wall design relies on the deep alluvial soft river muds to remain in place to support the structural pile itself.

The Regional Harbour Master imposed several constraints on the project, the most relevant of which were that any dumped rock, typically used for scour protection, had to be large enough so as not to migrate down river in a flood event. This was to prevent damage to dredging equipment that maintains the minimum required depth at the cruise ship terminal 350m downstream of the project. Typical dumped rock rip-rap scour protection was precluded by a second Harbour Master constraint that required no permanent works left behind by the project to sit more than 300mm above the natural riverbed, to be measured against bathymetric survey carried out immediately before and after construction.

An innovative solution, that satisfied all of the Harbour Master’s requirements, was developed to prevent the riverbed material scouring away in normal tide cycles and during flood events. The task was to develop a solution that would protect 19,000 square metres of riverbed along 790 metres of the river’s edge, locate precisely, remain in place during flood and adapt its shape to the inconsistent shape one would expect of a natural riverbed.

Concrete blocks, 300mm high, were cast directly onto a polypropylene geotextile loop matting. The shape of the concrete blocks resembled an upside-down ice cube tray found in a home freezer. This shape allowed the scour mattresses to articulate in any direction to ‘mould’ to the shape of the riverbed it was laid upon. The scour mattresses are 2.4m wide and range in length from 10.5m to 37.5m, weighing up to 47 tonnes.

The scour mattresses were placed side by side on the riverbed using real time sonar and GPS monitoring during placement. The mattresses rely on a ‘falling curtain’ design philosophy which allows the soft material on the riverbed surface to scour from the end furthermost from the structure. As the material scours, the mattress ‘falls’ until the soft material has scoured down to the stiffer underlying clay. Over time, during tidal movements and/ or flood events, sediment settles back over the scour mattress effectively holding it in place and ensuring the soft material covered by the mattress cannot scour any further.

Stakeholder Engagement

Council engaged with key internal and external stakeholders and the community during each phase of the KSD upgrade from the initial planning and feasibility phase in April 2010 through to the completion of construction in October 2020.

A project engagement strategy was developed in 2010 for the planning and feasibility phase and was revised and updated for each phase of the project. Key engagement activities included

briefings with the Infrastructure Chair, local Councillor, internal key stakeholders, static and staffed public displays, meetings with directly affected property owners and community groups, project newsletters, project update letters, and supporting materials including project web page, contact centre briefs, advertising and media releases.

Council consulted with the local community on the five shortlisted options for the project (retaining wall in the river, a partial upgrade, an elevated structure over the river, a double storey tunnel and a side-by-side tunnel). Public consultation for the upgrade was undertaken between November 2010 and January 2011. Feedback was encouraged and received via several different channels, including staffed public displays, newsletter feedback forms, online surveys, project 1800 number and email address.

Following consultation, Council announced Option 1 (retaining wall in the river) as the preferred option in early 2013 via a media statement and re-engaged with key stakeholders and the community with project letters, newsletters and meetings with directly impacted stakeholders.

Council further consulted with the local community on the concept design in early 2014 during the Reference Design development.

Part of the KSD upgrade included improvement works between Cooksley Street and Breakfast Creek Road, which proposed removing the traffic signals at the Cooksley Street and KSD intersection and constructing a pedestrian overpass over KSD. This proposed change generated more feedback than any other aspect of the upgrade, with more than 350 comments on the proposed changes (approximately two thirds of the responses expressed negative opinions). Based on these concerns, Council undertook additional investigations to determine if the traffic signals at Cooksley Street could be retained while still achieving improvements to traffic flow on KSD. These investigations concluded that, with the road upgraded to six lanes, the KSD and Cooksley Street intersection could be maintained in its current signalised format until an alternative route could be provided to access the Inner City Bypass.

Council acknowledged the community’s concerns about removing traffic signals at Cooksley Street and the impact on the local community and subsequently the project design was changed. Council acknowledged that removing traffic signals would maximise traffic flow however in this instance, with no suitable alternative to accessing the Inner City Bypass, removing the signals was considered an unacceptable impact on local traffic.

Council then developed a solution to manage local traffic and changes were implemented at the Cooksley Street and Yulestar Street intersection to encourage local city-bound traffic to use Cooksley Street, Yulestar Street and Amy Street to access Breakfast Creek Road rather than Cooksley Street and KSD.

Outcomes

• a six-lane, median divided road to cater for future traffic demand and reduce the number of safety incidents • improved travel time and travel reliability with six lanes to relieve traffic congestion for general traffic, commuters and freight • upgraded public transport provision with indented, double length bus bays to accommodate two buses arriving simultaneously and bus shelters at each bus stop for passengers • improved access to current and future developments such as Hamilton Northshore with upgraded intersections (KSD and Remora Road,

KSD and Harbour Road), a new intersection (KSD and

Northshore Way) and provision for a future intersection (KSD and Brett Street) • improved road safety and active transport with the inclusion of seven kilometres of new and improved pedestrian and cyclist facilities including dedicated on road bicycle lanes, continuous footpaths and the Lores Bonney

Riverwalk (a dedicated 1.2km riverfront shared facility for pedestrians and cyclists) • improved visual amenity through the inclusion of landscaping and urban design measures such as public art, feature lighting and new heritage trail • improved urban amenity through the creation of public green spaces including Bretts

Wharf plaza (a multifunctional urban plaza and parkland

suitable for recreation and community events), and rejuvenation of Cameron Rocks

Reserve (remodelled WW1 War

Memorial, BBQ area, shade shelters, lighting, landscaping and terraced steps to access the river) • a new on water recreational hub facility that can accommodate non-motorised craft including kayaks, canoes and stand up paddleboards, as well as a shortterm use area for motorised recreational craft and passenger boarding and alighting for larger commercial vehicles.

The opening of the Lores Bonney Riverwalk saw an increase in active transport with more than 1.3 million pedestrians and cyclists using this facility since its opening December 2018. During the COVID19 lockdown in 2020, the Riverwalk patronage increased significantly with the local community taking advantage of this riverfront facility as a mode of active transport and for exercise.

Following completion of the project and opening of the sixlane configuration, traffic counts have shown that traffic volumes have exceeded preconstruction volumes and travel times and reliability of travel times has significantly improved as shown in the following graph.

As a measure of congestion levels, the travel time variability shows improved reliability compared to prior to project construction commencing in June of 2016, as shown in the attached travel timetable.

With KSD being a key arterial route in the Brisbane transport network and a designated freight route, the travel time improvements provide significant benefit to the freight and transport industries as well as city-based businesses and daily commuters travelling to or through the city to get to and from work each day.

Detailed environmental assessments were revised and updated throughout the project, informing project decision making from options analysis to development of the construction environmental specifications.

Environmental and planning approvals were obtained from State and local government to address impacts to the marine/ tidal environment, marine plants and heritage.

Project environmental specifications outlined requirements for all environmental aspects, including: • objectives • relevant legislation, policies and guidelines • performance criteria • design and construction mitigation measures • monitoring • reporting • training.

The project involved extensive marine works undertaken in strict compliance with environmental approvals and project specification requirements. A compliance regime was adopted involving a collaborative approach with regulatory authorities, with monthly compliance assessments across the full scope of project works. Regulatory response to proactive management was positive. Proactive management included: • fabrication of sealed and capped (watertight) acid sulfate soil containers, to contain and transport acid sulfate soils from work areas to barges, barge docking facilities, road transport and ultimate reuse offsite • development of marine pile overpour collection systems ensured the collection and treatment of all concrete wastes, including waters • trialling of live telemetry water quality monitoring and reporting via the internet • planning and management of noise impacts during required out of hours works • extensive service upgrade works within tree protection zones of mature fig trees.

Future proofing for ongoing growth and development in the area has been included. Provision for a new signalised T-intersection has been constructed at the future Brett Street intersection with KSD. Minimal works, confined to standing signal pedestals, hauling cabling through conduits, linemarking and removing temporary kerb in the centre median is all that will be required to signalise this future intersection.

Double length bus bays have been provided at all in and

outbound bus stops on KSD, to accommodate two buses arriving simultaneously. Presently, relatively few bus services utilise KSD and single length bus bays are sufficient, indented double length bus bays have been constructed to cater for future public transport growth.

The KSD and Nudgee Road intersection is the highest trafficked intersection within the project. Provision for additional turning capacity has been provided with double right turn lanes on each leg of the intersection despite turning volumes currently not warranting dual turn lanes. In addition, the highest turning movement at the intersection is the right turn from Nudgee Road into KSD.

The Nudgee Road approach to the intersection was constructed with two right turns and one through lane and has been designed and constructed to allow for the turn paths of three right turning lanes. When traffic growth requires it, the through lane can be line marked as a shared through and right turn lane to increase the right turn capacity from Nudgee Road into KSD.

Following Design and Construction Award, Council, the Independent Verifier (IV) and the Design and Construct contractor co-located to a site office on KSD at the eastern end of the project. Council’s team of 13 personnel quickly developed and built close working relationships with their Design and Construct contractor counterparts to promote and foster open and timely communications on project matters. This proved invaluable in building trust and mutual respect and assisted in minimising delay to resolving challenges as they arose.

In addition to the regular (usually daily) officer level interaction, the senior project management counterparts similarly developed close working relationships. Commercial matters necessarily limited some of the openness between the parties, but there was no doubt that a mutual respect and professional conduct was maintained throughout delivery.

As technical challenges arose, the joint (contractor/Council) project management team established technical working groups to assist resolving such matters within the bounds of the contractual and commercial constraints of both parties.

Two lessons learned workshops were held with the contractor toward the end of project construction. A separate Lessons Learned workshop was held with the contractor and the public utility authorities to focus on this challenging component of the delivery phase.

Valuable learnings that could benefit future complex projects include: • the most important component of successful delivery (competence of the contracting parties is a given,

of course) is building trust and good working relationships between respective parties’ key discipline leads in the delivery of the project (that is: project managers, design managers, environmental managers, traffic managers, etc) and working towards a common goal making decisions on a best for project basis • early, open and direct communications between the parties is very important • there is far more to gain (for both parties) from working together to solve issues than there is to gain from protecting commercial positions.

The Project of the Year will be presented at the 2022 President’s Breakfast, 4 February in Brisbane. If you are unable to attend to discover more about this innovative, world-class, awardwinning project, please arrange a satellite breakfast so you and your colleagues can attend.

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

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