Logan City Council has made the earth move not once, but twice in a vital upgrade to a Munruben bridge.
Council has used about 114,000 cubic metres of soil - enough to fill 46 Olympic swimming pools - to raise the new Norris Creek Bridge by 8m.
The considerable weight of the fill created a stable foundation for the bridge by compressing the ground underneath.
The innovative 'bulk settlement' technique has been used across South East Queensland, including in constructing Brisbane Airport's second runway.
The soil came from the Covella subdivision at Greenbank, just 9km away, which delivered some cost benefits for the project.
Council continued to be sustainable by transporting leftover material 100m up the road for the Greenvale Rd intersection upgrade.
The bridge is part of a 3.8km upgrade of Chambers Flat Rd, from the Mount Lindesay Hwy to just north of Kings Way. The works will also:
- widen the road to 3.5m each way, with 3m sealed shoulders
- install turning lanes at the Kings Way and Greenvale Rd intersections
- improve sight distances at bends and crests.
Despite more than 160mm of rain impacting works in recent weeks, the project continues to meet milestones in the four construction zones, which are in place to minimise disruptions to local traffic.
Infrastructure Chair, Councillor Teresa Lane, praised Council's inventive approach to improving the roads network.
"Residents know this stretch of road is often impassable after heavy rain and our roads design team had to come up with some innovative ideas to allow the flood waters to flow while keeping roads open," Cr Lane said.
"Using the same 'bulk settlement' technique that contractors used on the Brisbane Airport's second runway, Council was able to use local resources with a much lower transport cost. This is a big saving for the project and a win for the budget.
"There are multiple benefits from an important upgrade like this including safer driveway access with the new hard surface shoulders, shorter journey times and all-weather access through a high flooding area."
To stay up to date with the Chambers Flat Rd upgrade project's progress, go to: logan.qld.gov.au/chambers-flat-road-upgrade
