Pacific Highway Upgrade, Woolgoolga to Ballina - Wave 4 Early Works

Location - Pacific Highway south of Woodburn
Completion Date - February 2017
Value - $43 million (including variations)
Client - Roads and Maritime Services and Pacific Complete

On behalf of the Australian and NSW governments, Roads and Maritime Services progressively upgraded the Pacific Highway to dual carriageway between the Hunter and NSW/Queensland border. The Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade involved the duplication of 155 kilometres to a four-lane divided road. The upgrade starts six kilometres north of Woolgoolga (north of Coffs Harbour) and ends six kilometres south of Ballina.

The Wave 4 Early Works package was part of the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade. SEECivil worked collaboratively with Roads and Maritime Services and Pacific Complete to deliver this part of the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade.

There early works were undertaken to ensure appropriate management, pre-load and settlement of soft soil areas prior to major roadworks commencing on this section of highway.

Scope of Works

Foundation treatments using 70,000 cubic metres of drainage rock
Installation of about 320,000 metres of vertical wick drains
Installation of specialised geotechnical instruments for settlement monitoring of soft soils, including vibrating wire, bored, nested and standing piezometers, inclinometers, settlement plate, data loggers and hydrostatic profile gauges
Importing more than 185,000 cubic metres of earth fill materials
High strength earth reinforcement using geotextiles and geosynthetic materials
Design and construction of deceleration lanes on the Pacific Highway to facilitate site and haulage vehicle movements, including traffic management of the Pacific Highway.
Working with fill height limitations of 1.5 meters per week.
Installation of HDPE drainage pipes due to soft soil zones
Clearing and grubbing undertaken within Endangered Ecological Communities
Management of acid sulfate and soft soil conditions of varying levels across the project area.

photos

Geofabric was placed in areas to assist with spoil removal

Significant areas of embankment had to be constructed.

Large culverts were constructed in environmentally sensitive areas

Monitoring equipment was installed within the preload material to track settlement of the area

Embankment and drainage works were undertaken to help facilitate future works

Beaudesert Town Centre Bypass

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