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Department of Transport and Main Roads

Smith Street Interchange Upgrade

EPBC Approval 2012/6423 Alternative25 September 2014

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Client: Department of Transport and Main RoadsTitle: Smith Street Interchange UpgradeSubtitle: EPBC Approval 2012/6423 AlternativeDocument No: R-TEM01-0002_3ADate: 25 September 2014

Rev Date Details

3A 25/09/2014 For issue

Author, Reviewer and Approver details

Prepared by: Butch Rossouw Date: 24/09/2014 Signature: pp

Reviewed by: Mark Dumont Date: 25/09/2014 Signature:

Approved by: Mark Dumont Date: 25/09/2014 Signature:

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Department of Transport and Main Roads, Parsons Brinckerhoff file, Parsons Brinckerhoff Library

©Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited 2014

Copyright in the drawings, information and data recorded in this document (the information) is the property of ParsonsBrinckerhoff. This document and the information are solely for the use of the authorised recipient and this documentmay not be used, copied or reproduced in whole or part for any purpose other than that for which it was supplied byParsons Brinckerhoff. Parsons Brinckerhoff makes no representation, undertakes no duty and accepts noresponsibility to any third party who may use or rely upon this document or the information.

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R-TEM01-0002_3A 1

25 September 2014

Diana BannermanPost ApprovalsDepartment of the EnvironmentGPO Box 787Canberra ACT 2601

Dear Diana

Smith Street Interchange UpgradeEPBC Approval 2012/6423 Alternative

Following recent communication between the Department of the Environment and Transport and MainRoads (TMR) Queensland, regarding the need to apply for a variation to Condition 2 of EPBC Approval2012/6423, Parsons Brinkerhoff has been requested by TMR to consolidate available information to supportthis variation request.

Please find attached to this letter a short report highlighting the approval conditions, resulting designchallenges and limitations and proposed alternative mitigation, considering available historic koala datawithin and adjacent the project area.

Your consideration of the presented information in making a determination to accept the proposed alternativemitigation measure to Condition 2 will be appreciated.

Yours sincerely

ppButch RossouwPrincipal Environmental Consultant

Parsons Brinckerhoff | R-TEM01-0002_3A i

Department of Transport and Main Roads Smith Street Interchange Upgrade - EPBC Approval 2012/6423Alternative

ContentsPage number

1. Background 1

1.1 Project description 1

1.2 Existing road design (before widening) 2

1.3 EPBC approval conditions 3

2. Design considerations 5

2.1 Assessment of koala traffic barrier crossings 5

2.2 Proposed alternative mitigation measure 6

3. Thrie-Beam recommendation 7

3.1 Previous ecological assessments 7

3.2 Wildcare Australia data 8

3.3 Transport and Main Roads koala records 11

3.4 Discussion 13

3.5 Recommendation 13

List of tablesPage number

Table 3.1 Wildcare Australia koala records for Smith Street Motorway 9

List of figuresPage number

Figure 1.1 Project location 1Figure 1.2 Approximate start of project 2Figure 1.3 Smith Street east bound 2Figure 1.4 Approximate location of proposed Thrie-Beam crossing and koala underpass 3Figure 2.1 EPBC conditioned Koala traffic barrier crossing 5Figure 2.2 Detailed design of proposed Thrie-Beam structure 6Figure 3.1 TMR provided data of fauna interactions on Smith Street Motorway 11Figure 3.2 Koala data overlay plan 12

List of appendicesAppendix A Koala underpass and Thrie-Beam location

Parsons Brinckerhoff | R-TEM01-0002_3A 1


1. Background1.1 Project descriptionSmith Street Motorway runs in an east-west direction and connects the Gold Coast Highway in the east atSouthport to the Pacific Motorway (M1) in the west at Gaven. Olsen Avenue runs in a north-south directionand connects in the north to the Gold Coast Highway at Labrador and in the south to Nerang–BroadbeachRoad at Carrara. The Smith Street Motorway and Olsen Avenue interchange is located 2 km east of thePacific Motorway (M1) and 4 km west of the Gold Coast Highway. (Figure 1.1)

Smith Street Motorway and Olsen Avenue serve as the major north-south and east-west arterial roadsconnecting the northern suburbs of the Gold Coast. The intersection of these roads currently experiencescongestion during peaks with vehicles queuing along the Smith Street eastbound exit ramp back onto theM1 Motorway. Delays are also experienced along Olsen Avenue. The intersection is further under pressurefrom new and proposed developments. The intersection is currently the major access point for the GoldCoast University Hospital (GCUH), Griffith University and the planned Commonwealth Games Village. Thesedevelopments require reliable access to a robust road network and a corridor that caters for all users. Withthe Smith Street interchange already under stress an upgrade is required to meet these important currentand future demands.

Figure 1.1 Project location

2 Parsons Brinckerhoff | R-TEM01-0002_3A


1.2 Existing road design (before widening)The current road design for Smith Street comprises a 4 lane dual carriage way separated by a concretemedian barrier. The road verges comprise a mix of design features including concrete barriers, W-Beam,fencing or noise barriers. Figures 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 provide a visual perspective of the existing design andassociated structures.

Figure 1.2 Approximate start of project

Figure 1.3 Smith Street east bound



Figure 1.4 Approximate location of proposed Thrie-Beam crossing and koala underpass

1.3 EPBC approval conditionsOn 24 April 2013, the then Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communitiesmade a determination and approved the upgrade of the Smith Street Motorway Interchange with Labrador –Carrara Road (Olsen Avenue) (See EPBC Act referral 2012/6423). The approval was granted undercontrolling provision, Listed Threatened Species and Communities (Sections 18 and 18A). A number ofconditions were attached to the approval including setting disturbance limits, specific koala protectionrequirements and compensatory measures.

Condition 2 of the ‘Koala Protection’ requirements specified the following:

‘The person taking the action must provide no less than 15 Koala barrier crossings alongthe Smith Street motorway between the Pacific motorway (M1) and Labrador –CarraraRoad (Olsen Avenue). These Koala barrier crossings must facilitate Koalas climbing overconcrete barriers. If Koala barrier crossings cannot be installed due to safety concernsassociated with the barrier crossing, alternative mitigation measures to limit Koala accessto, or facilitate Koala egress from, Smith Street motorway between the Pacific Motorway(M1) and Labrador-Carrara Road (Olsen Avenue), must be approved in writing by theDepartment. Final design and installation location of Koala barrier crossings or alternativemitigation measures must be approved by the Department prior to their installation. Koalabarrier crossings or alternative mitigation measures must be installed prior tocommencement of operation of Smith Street motorway, or as otherwise agreed to inwriting by the Department, and must be maintained.’

Section 2 and 3 discusses the technical design matters associated with the approval and suggestsalternative mitigation measures that are technically acceptable.



2. Design considerations2.1 Assessment of koala traffic barrier crossingsThe koala traffic barrier crossing as referred in condition 2 of the EPBC approval is essentially a plastic gridthat is fixed over the concrete barrier using timber slats which are fastened to the barrier (refer Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1 EPBC conditioned Koala traffic barrier crossing

This solution requires that the existing Type F barriers that separates the east and west bound traffic bemodified. Figures 1.3 to 1.5 provide a visual reference of the existing situation along Smith Street, includingvisuals of the existing engineering infrastructure along the road verge areas.

While retrofitting of these Type F barriers is technically feasible, Australian Standard AS3845:1999 – RoadSafety Barrier Systems states:

‘2.3.16 Modifications shall not be made to any road safety barrier system, unless crashtesting, computer simulation or other professionally accepted methods show that thechange is acceptable.’



A retrofitted koala crossing to the existing barrier is deemed a modification which has not been tested inaccordance with AS3845:1999 and, as such, it cannot be incorporated into the barrier system for this project.This interpretation is consistent with the position of Queensland Department of Transport and Mains Roads.Potential safety issues associated with the koala traffic barrier crossing are:

performance of the modified safety barrier is unproven

slats may pose a ‘spearing’ hazard to motorists especially motorcyclists.

Additionally, if impacted or not properly maintained, the ladder crossing may loosen and pose additionalsafety risks for all road users. In light of the potential safety issues, an alternative mitigation measure hasbeen deemed necessary to limit koala access and provide egress from the motorway.

2.2 Proposed alternative mitigation measureAn alternative mitigation measure is being proposed to install a 28 m long Thrie-Beam structure. While thisstructure will not allow koalas to climb over the barrier, it will allow egress from the motorway by allowingkoalas to traverse the barrier within the 300 mm zone between the pavement height and the underside of theThrie-Beam. Detailed design drawings of the Thrie-Beam are represented in Figure 2.2 and an enlargedversion as an attachment to this report.

Figure 2.2 Detailed design of proposed Thrie-Beam structure

The inclusion of Thrie-Beam is considered an acceptable treatment as this arrangement has been tested inaccordance with AS3845:1999 and is detailed on the TMR Standards drawings.



3. Thrie-Beamrecommendation

While the proposed Thrie-Beam structure is considered an acceptable treatment in accordance withAS3845:1999, and satisfies the EPBC requirement for allowing koala egress of the barrier, the solutioncomes with a significant cost implication. In accordance with EPBC Condition 2 approval, the original designhad allowed for the installation of 15 koala crossings at a cost of $500/unit. Therefore a total cost of $7,500(excluding costs for traffic management). The proposed Thrie-Beam design has been priced at $71,248(excluding the costs for traffic management). This cost includes the requirement to underground the existingoptic fibre (OF) currently running within the existing concrete barrier.

Due to significantly higher construction costs associated with the use of Thrie-Beam, consideration has beengiven to best determine a location that provides the highest likelihood of koala crossing Smith Street. Assuch, a number of data sets and previous ecological studies have been reviewed in an attempt to identify asuitable construction location. Existing koala habitat, known records, positioning of the existing faunaunderpass and the use of koala exclusion fencing has been considered to support this recommendation.

3.1 Previous ecological assessmentsA number of ecological studies have been undertaken in the area over recent years. These include:

SMEC; June 2010; Smith Street/Olsen Avenue Review of Environmental Factors (REF); Department ofTransport and Main Roads

SMEC; November 2011; Smith Street Motorway and Labrador-Carrara Road (Olsen Avenue) Upgrade –Phase C, Detailed Design; Flora and Fauna Management Plan; TMR Project: 160/101/6&230/116/1;Department of Transport and Main Roads, South Coast Region

GHD; February 2010; Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct Partnership; Report for Gold CoastHealth and Knowledge Precinct; Ecological Assessment. Volume 1: Main Report

Transport and Main Roads; May 2013; Environmental Scoping report, Labrador Carrara Road(Olsen Avenue) 6 Laning, Project No: 160-116-903

Transport and Main Roads; Environmental Scoping Report – Games Option, Smith Street MotorwayProject No: 230/116/1, July 2013

Australian Wildlife and Feral Management; Report on Fauna Survey Olsen Avenue and Smith StreetInterchange 2013.

A review of each report was undertaken to determine whether any koala records exist for the study area.Actual sightings, Gold Coast City Council historic records, tree scratch marks and scat locations were allcollected and overlayed on a figure to determine the likely presence of koalas. Geographical results from thisreview are presented in Figure 3.2.



3.2 Wildcare Australia dataIn addition to the reviewed ecological assessments, Wildcare Australia has maintained a record of koalainteraction with Smith Street with records dating back to 2004. Unfortunately, records 1 and 2 of this data setare not detailed in terms of the location of the incident and have therefore been excluded. The remaining fiverecords can be reasonably assigned to a general area based on the description provided in the records. TheWildcare Australia data is included in Table 3.1. These records have also been overlayed in Figure 3.2.



Table 3.1 Wildcare Australia koala records for Smith Street Motorway

Record Date1

Wildcare CODE orROAD KILL orDOA or NoRescue of N/A2

Animal Reason for care3 Outcome4 Outcome date5 Gender, ifknown6

Specific place ofrescue7

1 28-Jul-04 DSL 28/07/04/00376 KoalaIn danger/needed relocating –Trying to cross road, nowhereto go

Transferred toPrivate Carer orOther Group

28-Jul-04 F,? Smith Street

2 28-Jul-04 DSL28/07/04/00376a Koala

In danger/needed relocating –Trying to cross road, nowhereto go

Transferred toPrivate Carer orOther Group

28-Jul-04 F,? Smith Street

3 21-Aug-04 KJS 21/08/04/00370 Koala Road Trauma, suspected –Sitting on road Released 22-Aug-04 F Smith Street (western end

towards M1)

09-Sep-05 ROAD KILL Koala Road Kill Road Kill 9-Sep-05 F Smith St Exit pacificHighway

4 13-Aug-06 KJS 13/08/06/00548 Koala Injury – Road Trauma Transferred to Vetor Wildlife Hospital 14-Aug-06 M M1 Motorway (Northbound

Smith Street exit)

5 14-Oct-06 JGM 14/10/06/03058 Koala Injury – Road Trauma – Hit bycar

Unknown Outcome,Internal Transfer 15-Oct-06 Unknown Olsen Ave

6 09-Sep-08 JGM 09/09/08/03677 Koala Injury – Road Trauma Died 09-Sep-08 F Smith St Exit M1

(1) Date you received the animal.(2) A code is not applicable (N/A) for rescues dropped off at a vet. WC Code Format: XXX dd/mm/yy/00001. Pick from list provided.(3) Orphaned, habitat loss, injury, road trauma, transferred to me for pre-release, etc. Further details or clarification can be put in the comments field. If mum was killed, please enter one record and a

separate record for mum as ROAD KILL. Pick from list provided.(4) Released, escaped, died, euthanized, transferred to private carer or other group, transferred to vet or wildlife hospital, transferred to WC member, Still in Care (SIC), no rescue. Pick from list provided.(5) Please also include this date (last day of month) for animals with SIC as Outcome.(6) M, F, Unknown. Pick from list provided.(7) Include street address, if known.



3.3 Transport and Main Roads koala recordsThe Department of Transport and Main Roads has maintained records of fauna interactions through theirroad management company RoadTek for the period 2009 through 2014. Results from these records wereprovided by TMR in a figure format and is presented in Figure 3.1 (as provided). Only the koala records havebeen extracted from this figure, and are now additionally included as a layer in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.1 TMR provided data of fauna interactions on Smith Street Motorway



3.4 DiscussionAs shown in Figure 3.2, the vast majority of koala records exist within the Smith Street-Olsen Avenueintersection area and within the bushland areas to the west of Smith Street where Smith Street intersectswith the pacific Motorway. These western most areas are outside of the project footprint and are thereforeexcluded from further consideration. Fewer koala records exist within the central parts of the project area. Itis likely that koala incidents may have occurred in this central part of the project area as a result of koalas notbeing able to cross the motorway closer to the Smith Street-Olsen Avenue intersection, due to the historicabsence of any crossing structures. Origin of these central interactions are likely to be from koalamovements from either the most western bushlands abutting the Pacific Highway, or from within the SmithStreet-Olsen avenue intersection areas. The lack of immediate surrounding habitat and presence of existingroad verge infrastructure such as concrete and noise barriers further suggests that the koala impacted uponin these areas are likely to be as a result of them moving from the more suitable habitat areas to the east orthe west.

Considering the location of confirmed koala records in the project area as depicted in Figure 3.2 and theneed for installation of koala exclusion fencing in accordance with EPBC Condition 3, a design has beenproposed where the exclusion fencing has been integrated with the retrofitted koala underpass (Condition 4of EPBC 2012/6423) and the proposed Thrie-Beam structure, in a manner that will facilitate koala movementacross Smith Street. A detailed design of the Thrie-Beam structure and its proposed location in associationwith the installed koala exclusion fencing is included as Appendix A.

3.5 RecommendationBased on the information provided in this submission, it is considered that the proposed alternative mitigationmeasure to install a Thrie-Beam crossing, rather than the ladder type koala barrier crossings, is acceptablein terms of road safety and potential fauna impact mitigation. The proposed location of the crossing is alsoconsidered appropriate in light of historic koala records in the area. While the cost of the proposed mitigationis considerably higher than the initial koala barrier crossings, it does meet safety standards and is thereforeconsidered acceptable. This proposal is considered an acceptable alternative mitigation solution, balancingenvironmental, social and economic matters.

Appendix AKoala underpass and Thrie-Beam location

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