A yeAr oF Achievement

celebrating three years of construction2011

FA S T FAC T S

CONTENTS

ii FOREWORD

1 ACHIEVEMENTS

13 AIRPORT LINK

25 NORTHERN BUSWAY

29 MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL FIT-OUT

31 AIRPORT ROUNDABOUT UPGRADE

32 SUPPORT FACILITIES

33 PROJECT INITIATIVES

35 IN THE COMMUNITY

O Construction is 90% complete

O Over $3.85 billion spent

O More than 25 million hours worked

O Over 4,500 people employed on the project at peak

O More than 26,000 people inducted on the project

O 15kms of tunnel excavated and concrete lined

O 100% of spoil removed

O 6,300 piles driven

O More than 500kms of cable laid

O 807,000m3 of concrete poured

O 250,000 tonnes of asphalt laid

O 125,000 tonnes of reinforced steel used

O 3,760 bridge beams and deck units installed

O 55 traffic switches implemented

O Over 10,000 visitors to the Information Centre

O One million community notifications distributed

O 300 environmental approvals

FO R E W O R D

Team,

We are now more than three years into construction and while the scale and complexity of the projects we’re building is impressive, the most impressive element is the teams of exceptional people delivering them.

Sadly this year we lost one of those exceptional people with the tragic death of Sam Beveridge. Sam was a well respected member of our tunnelling team, and he and his contribution to the project will be remembered and valued by all of us.

This incident reminds us all that construction projects like ours inherently involve risk and while we have robust systems in place to reduce these risks, we all need to remain vigilant over the remaining months to ensure we keep everyone safe as we move toward project completion next June.

This year we have seen a number of key milestones achieved by all area teams and functional disciplines, and we successfully completed and handed over the Airport Roundabout Upgrade project.

Construction is now 90% complete and we have worked more than 25 million hours. It has been a challenging three years and I am continually impressed by the co-ordination and planning involved in bringing all elements of these remarkable projects together by our entire project team.

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate everybody on what we’ve achieved to date and ask that as we approach the tasks that remain we think them through and complete these projects with a well deserved sense of pride and achievement.

Gordon Ralph Project Director

02

Bowen Hills Bridge structures

All 12 bridges in the Bowen Hills precinct were completed in early September 2011 when the final beam was installed.

In total, 570 beams were installed to construct the 12 bridges which will connect the Airport Link tunnel with CLEM7, the Inner City Bypass, Bowen Bridge Road and Campbell Street, as well as provide access over Lutwyche Road for the Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron).

More than 250 people worked over 500,000 hours to complete the structural work at Bowen Hills.

ACHIEVEMENTS A

CAPTIONS

A: All 12 bridges complete at Bowen Hills

B: Bridge beam installation over Queensland Rail lines

B

0403

CAPTIONS

A: Rocksy and Sandy the TBMs in the Wooloowin caverns

B: Rocksy the TBM breaks through into Wooloowin cavern

C: TBM team celebrate final TBM breakthrough at Lutwyche

D: TBM cutterhead is lowered into burial pit at Lutwyche

completion of tunnelling

2011 has seen several significant tunnelling milestones achieved culminating in the excavation of 15km of tunnels and ramps across the project in July 2011.

In February and March 2011, ‘Rocksy’ and ‘Sandy’ the project’s two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), broke through into Wooloowin’s 23 metre wide caverns on their way from Kalinga Park.

Less than six months later, in July 2011, both machines completed excavation as they broke through into the Lutwyche caverns, within days of each other.

After the breakthroughs the cutterheads and shields from both TBMs were lowered into purpose built shafts below the floor of the Airport Link tunnels. Measuring 14.5 metres wide and 16.5 metres deep, the two burial pits required 2,500m3 of concrete pumped continuously to fully bury the machines.

B

A

C D

05 06

nortHern Busway nears completion

Construction of the Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) at Bowen Hills, Lutwyche and Kedron is progressing rapidly.

The final beam for the Northern Busway bridge at Bowen Hills was installed in June 2011, completing the 250 metre long structure over Bowen Bridge Road. The bridge was then opened to buses in mid November, with construction of the Federation Street bus stop currently being finalised.

The architecturally designed busway stations at Lutwyche and Kedron Brook are nearing completion with all access towers built and platform construction nearly finished.

Earlier this year, the concrete lining in the driven busway tunnel between Truro Street and Chalk Street was completed. More than 10,000m3 of concrete was required to construct the permanent lining in this section of tunnel.

The recent focus in the busway tunnel has been on mechanical and electrical fit-out including the installation of lighting, ventilation fans, fire deluge, pipework, closed circuit television, public address systems and air quality monitoring devices.

CAPTIONS

A: Beam installation complete on Northern Busway bridge at Bowen Hills

B: Construction of Kedron Brook busway station platform and elevated walkway

C: Lutwyche busway station tower and platform construction

D: Aerial view of Lutwyche busway station

A

B C

D

07 08

gympie road realigned

In late July 2011 Gympie Road was permanently realigned across the newly constructed Gympie Road bridge and cut-and-cover structure. Construction of the new Gympie Road bridge required 136 pre-cast beams to be installed over Kedron Brook, while a total of 76,000m3 of material was required to back-fill the 30m deep cut-and-cover excavation.

Once the traffic switch was successfully implemented, the old Gympie Road bridge was demolished to allow for construction of the Airport Link flyovers and new Northern Busway bridge.

Since August 2011, 24 steel girders, 12 Super Ts and 158 concrete bridge beams have been installed to construct the 10 metre high flyovers, which will provide access out of the Airport Link tunnels for traffic headed northbound along Gympie Road and westbound along Stafford Road. The beams measured up to 53 metres in length and weighed between 35 and 64 tonnes.

CAPTIONS

A: The flyovers stand 10m high at their peak

B: Installation of steel bridge beams, measuring up to 53m long

C: Gympie Road on final alignment over new bridge

D: 76,000m3 of material was required to fill in the cut-and-cover excavation

B

A

C D

09 10 A B C

D

E

Jacked Box operation complete

In July, the massive jacked box operation at Toombul to construct t h e r a i l w a y u n d e r p a s s w a s successfully completed.

Two massive concrete boxes weighing almost 20,000 tonnes in total and measuring 65 metres long, 12.5 metres high and with a combined span of approximately 38 metres were successfully pushed under Queensland’s busiest railway.

The completion of the jacked box under the North Coast Railway Line was the largest of its type in the world to be undertaken. A team of 225 people worked around the clock for 36 days to successfully complete the operation. As one of the most complex engineering aspects of the project’s construction, the jacking of the giant boxes was a significant achievement for the Toombul team.

CAPTIONS

A: Toombul team celebrates completion of jacked box operation

B: Jacking of concrete box under railway line

C: Concreting of jacked box roof slab

D: Continuous jacking of largest concrete box

E: Removal of soil from inside jacked box

1211 B A

aru proJect complete

On 1 July 2011 the Airport Roundabout Upgrade (ARU) project achieved practical completion and formal handover to the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

All elements of the ARU project, including the four lane Airport Flyover and the fast diamond signalised intersection, were opened to traffic in February 2011, nine months ahead of schedule.

Motorists are now saving more than 10 minutes in peak hour traffic when travelling to the airport.

CAPTIONS

A: Fast diamond intersection open to traffic in late 2010

B: All lanes of 750m long Airport Flyover opened

A I R P O RT L I N K 14

A

B

D

C

Airport Link is a 6.7km mainly underground toll road, connecting the CLEM7, Inner City Bypass and local road network at Bowen Hills to the northern arterials of Gympie and Stafford Roads at Kedron and Sandgate and East West Arterial Roads leading to the airport.

When it’s completed on 30 June 2012, Airport Link will be the first major motorway linking Brisbane City to the northern suburbs and airport precinct.

CAPTIONS

A: 3,000m3 concrete pour at Kedron

B: Installation of permanent concrete tunnel lining

C: Tunnel worker watches TBM breakthrough

D: Trimming of tunnel walls with rock hammer

D: Airport Link tunnel ramp construction

E: Installation of concrete bridge beams

F: Construction of Bowen Hills Ventilation Station Outlet

G: Permanent concrete lining complete in Bowen Hills tunnel

H: Bridge construction at Bowern Hills was often undertaken above busy ICB and CLEM7 traffic lanes

I: Bowen Hills team celebrates completion of permanent concrete tunnel lining installation

CAPTIONS

A: 119 columns complete the purple curtain wall which highlights the entrance to the Airport Link tunnel at Bowen Hills

B: Aerial view of Bowen Hills worksite

C: Installation of waterproof membrane in preparation for concrete lining

1615

A

B C

D

H

E F G

I

BOW EN H I LL S

A

B C E

D

F 1817

CAPTIONS

A: Installation of waterproof membrane in preparation for permanent concrete lining

B: Installation of steel reinforcement in floor of Airport Link tunnel

C: Preparing for installation of smoke ducts in roof of Airport Link tunnel

D: Airport Link tunnel off-ramp and mainline tunnel

E: Construction of underground TBM burial chamber

F: The last of 17 roadheader machines was removed from the Truro Street worksite in early 2011

TRU RO STR EE T

2019

CAPTIONS

A: Back-fill of cut and cover structure in front of Kedron Brook Building

B: Aerial view of Kedron worksite

C: Preparing Kedron tunnel for installation of permanent concrete lining

D: Installation of steel reinforcement in floor of Airport Link tunnel

E: Amelia Park upgrade completed and handed back to the community

F: Airport Link Operations Centre on Stafford Road now complete

G: Kedron Ventilation Station

H: Construction of Airport Link tunnel on-ramps in front of Kedron Brook Building

I: Construction of Airport Link tunnel off-ramp flyovers at Stafford/Gympie Road intersection

J: Installation of 136 pre-cast bridge beams to construct new Gympie Road bridge

A

B

C D J

G H I

E F

KED RO N

WO O LO OW I N

A D

C

B 2221

CAPTIONS

A: ‘Rocksy’ the TBM traversing the Wooloowin cavern on her way to Lutwyche

B: Access shaft into Wooloowin tunnel caverns

C: Arch form machine used to install permanent concrete tunnel lining

D: Wooloowin eastbound tunnel cavern

2423

CAPTIONS

F: Aerial view of Toombul worksite from East West Arterial Road into Kalinga Park

G: View of lined TBM tunnel from within Kalinga Park launch box

H: Installation of concrete beams to construct bridge in the middle of Sandgate/East West Arterial Road intersection

I: Fully lined TBM tunnel

CAPTIONS

A: Construction of the Toombul Ventilation Station Outlet

B: Plants for the Toombul tunnel ramp living green wall

C: Removal of TBM spoil via conveyor

D: Construction of internal dividing walls for cut and cover tunnel

E: Inside the Tunnel Boring Machine

A

B

C D E F

G

I

H

TO O M BU L

CAPTIONS

A: Construction of the Lutwyche busway station and plaza

B: Kedron Brook busway station elevated walkway and platform

C: Installation of lighting in roof of busway tunnel

D: Aerial view of Kedron Brook busway station

A

B

C D 26NORTHERN BUSWAY

The Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) will connect the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital at Windsor to Kedron via the Lutwyche Road corridor.

The busway will be underground for approximately 1.5km between Truro Street, Windsor and Sadlier Street, Kedron surfacing at two new busway stations located at Lutwyche and Kedron Brook.

CAPTIONS

A: Mechanical and electrical fit-out inside busway tunnel

B: Entry/exit portal for busway tunnel at Kedron, south of the Brook

C: Construction vehicles moving through busway tunnel

D: Installation of lighting in roof of Northern Busway tunnel

A

B

C D27 28

CAPTIONS

A: More than 5,500 lights will be installed as part of the mechanical and electrical fit-out

B: More than 1,000 people will be involved in the fit-out stage of the project

C: 85,000m3 of concrete will be used to fit-out the project’s tunnels and buildings

D: 194 jet fans and 500 electronic traffic control signs will be installed

A

B C

D 30

M ECHAN ICAL & ELECTRICAL FIT-OUT

The Airport Link project’s three support facilities were decommissioned this year, having successfully completed their work on the projects.

The Bald Hills Pre-Cast Facility was responsible for the casting of 16,600 precast concrete products. The various products were used to build road and pedestrian bridges, cut-and-cover roofs, tunnels, bus stations, ventilation stations, noise barriers and architectural features.

The Eagle Farm segment factory completed the production of 22,000 pre-cast concrete segments which were used to make up the rings that formed the TBM tunnel lining.

The Pinkenba Precast Facility team was responsible for the production of the precast products required to construct the Bowen Hills and Toombul ventilation station structures as well as the 750m long Airport Flyover bridge.

CAPTIONS

A: Airport Flyover operational

B: Landscaping below Airport Flyover

C: South east view of operational fast diamond intersection

D: Aerial view of Airport Flyover, Southern Cross Motorway and fast diamond intersection

A

B

C

D B

A

A R U A I R P O R T R O U N D A B O U T U P G R A D E

CAPTIONS

A: Storage of concrete segments for TBM tunnel

B: Aerial view of Bald Hills Pre-Cast Facility SUPPORT FACILITIES

34PROJECT INITIATIVES

Airport Link project cycLing for chArityIn November 2010 and October 2011, a group of cyclists from the Airport Link project entered the annual Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge. Over the two years the team raised a combined total of $40,000 for diabetes and heart research.

The Airport Link team was a mix of experienced riders and novices. The team were the top fundraisers both years.

SpLAShed out At fAmiLy dAyOn Saturday 29 October 2011, more than 500 Airport Link employees and their families enjoyed an afternoon of splash-tacular fun at the annual Family Day.

Held at the Chermside Water Park attendees were treated to an afternoon of great weather, live entertainment, BBQ dinner and exclusive access to the pool and water slides.

photogrAphy competitionIn April 2011, an internal photography competition was launched which encouraged all Airport Link workers to get creative and submit their construction photos. More than 550 entries were received.

in the

3635

10,000th VIC VIsItorIn September 2011, the Airport Link

Information Centre at Lutwyche welcomed

its 10,000th visitor.

Since its opening in 2008, an average of

over 60 people have visited the centre each

week. Visit us at the Centro Lutwyche

Shopping Centre on Lutwyche Road.

Amelia Park r e s t o r e d and open to the publicIn July 2011, a community BBQ was held

in Amelia Park at Kedron to celebrate

its completion.

Approximately 100 local residents attended

the BBQ and viewed the park’s new

landscaping, picnic tables, play equipment

and fitness area.

Amelia Park is the first community parkland

to be completed by the Airport Link project.

Community Relations aChievementsThis year the Thiess John Holland Community Relations Team has continued to keep the local community informed of construction progress and milestones as Airport Link moved into its third year of construction.

More than 1 million community notifications have been distributed to date with over 10,000 visitors through the information centre at Lutwyche. More than 500 individual mitigation treatments have been provided for nearby residents.

Multiple information sessions, BBQs and resident sites tours have also been held across the project alignment.

Many thanks to all the amateur photographers on the project who contributed their fantastic images for this publication.

T H A N K YO U

© Th

iess

John

Hol

land

2011