The Western Roads Upgrade

The $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade project was launched in 2018 and completed in 2021.

And included upgrades to eight arterial roads in Melbourne’s west.

Massive new intersections.

And the resurfacing of 260 km of existing roads between Footscray to Werribee.

So why haven’t these roads fallen apart in the years that have followed?

It’s because the upgrade was delivered part of a convoluted public–private partnership between the Department of Transport and Planning and a private consortium called ‘Netflow’, which sees the government give them buckets of money for the next 20 years to maintain the road, with a compliance regime that will penalise them for as little as a pothole.

To manage these contractual obligations, you need data – so the Netflow consortium has a fleet of inspection vehicles continually doing laps of the western suburbs.

Covered in LiDAR sensors looking for faults in the road surface.

And maintenance crews in ‘Western Roads Upgrade’ branded vans ready to swoop in and fix faults ASAP.

Their marketing blurb describing it as:

Netflow is transforming the way road maintenance is performed in Victoria, using real-time data on the condition of the network to employ maintenance strategies that minimise disruption and maximise whole-of-life value.

This more efficient maintenance program is resulting in an average of one road per week being resurfaced.

The core of Netflow’s whole-of-life maintenance solution is the central Network Delivery Hub.

The 24/7 hub monitors the performance of the network in real time, providing a seamless interface with the Department of Transport, local councils and other third parties to implement dynamic-scheduled works, keep communities informed, predict and prevent issues, and coordinate timely responses to incidents.

The use of vehicle-mounted street scanning technology, drones, 3D modelling and physical inspections allow Netflow to schedule preventative maintenance and reduce road closures.

This whole-of-life approach provides best-in-class maintenance of the road network at a lower cost.

Meanwhile for every other road in Victoria, the government just keeps kicking the can down the road, because they aren’t accountable to anyone.

So why not keep doing it

If the Western Roads Upgrade project was so successful in getting rid of potholes, why doesn’t the government do more upgrades like this? Turns out the private companies behind it lost money by underbidding.

The Andrews government’s $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade has stalled after a key subcontractor walked off the job with just $920 remaining in its accounts, leaving other subcontractors millions of dollars out of pocket.

The Sunday Age can also reveal the head contractor on the project, South-African headquartered and Perth-based WBHO, has reported $133 million in losses after it admitted to under-bidding to win the work, and its executive chairman, Louwtjie Nel, conceded the project was the company’s “biggest error in 50 years”.

WBHO’s main subcontractor, little known western suburbs-based civil engineering firm Civilink, quit in August and has gone into liquidation, owing creditors at least $13 million.

And so the tender process on the South Eastern Roads Upgrade Project and Northern Roads Upgrade Project were terminated in July 2020 – replaced by the $2.2 billion Suburban Roads Upgrade to be delivered as 12 individual projects by a pre-qualified panel in an approach modelled on the Level Crossing Removal Project.

Footnote: digging into the legalese

The full details of the public–private partnership can be found in the “Outer Suburban Arterial Roads Program – Western Package” Project Deed.

For a start, look at the corporate structure.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety on behalf of the Crown in right of
the State of Victoria
(State)

Netflow OSARS (Western) Pty Ltd as trustee for Netflow OSARS (Western) Unit Trust for and on behalf of the Netflow OSARS (Western) Partnership and Cintra OSARS (Western) Pty Ltd as trustee for Cintra OSARS (Western) Unit Trust for and on behalf of the Netflow OSARS (Western) Partnership (Project Co)

And it’s contractors, investors and financiers all the way down.

D&C contractor

The D&C contractor is WBHO Infrastructure Pty Ltd. Project Co has appointed the D&C contractor to design and construct the eight Arterial Road Upgrades and the Initial Rehabilitation Works.

Significant subcontractors

The D&C contractor has appointed the following significant subcontractors to deliver elements of the Arterial Road Upgrades:
• Ace Infrastructure Pty Ltd;
• Civilex Victoria Pty Ltd; and
• Winslow Constructors Pty Ltd

Contracts with other subcontractors are expected to be executed shortly.

Equity investors

The following entities have committed to provide the equity required for Project Co:
• Plenary Investments (Western OSARS) Pty Ltd
• Cintra OSARs Western Ltd

Financiers (long term)

The following entities have provided the long term debt required for the Project:
• DB Life Insurance Co. Ltd.
• Pensionskasse Des Bundes Publica
• Samsung IFM Global Infrastructure Debt Professional Investment Private Investment Trust No. 1
• Manulife Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited
• Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

Financiers (short term)
The following entities have committed to provide the short term debt required for the Project:
• Westpac Banking Corporation
• Bank of China Limited
• Mizuho Bank, Ltd
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited

VicRoads gives this as their justification for completing the upgrade as a public–private partnership.

A range of procurement options that are typically considered for high-value road construction projects were assessed based on their suitability and value for money drivers in reference to the specific characteristics of the Western Roads Upgrade. The following four procurement options were shortlisted on the basis that they represented models currently in use and have a history of utilisation by VicRoads or other State agencies:

• design and construct;
• alliance;
• design, build and maintain; and
• design, build, finance and maintenance (availability-based PPP).

Following a procurement options assessment of the shortlisted procurement options, the availability based PPP delivery model was the highest ranked procurement option. This option was recommended, and subsequently approved by the State, for delivery of the Project.

The key considerations in recommending an availability-based PPP model are summarised below.

• The model provides increased opportunity for the State to harness private sector innovation and structure a contract that incentivises whole-of-life efficiencies to arterial road investment.
• The bundling of construction and maintenance tasks under a long-term agreement (subject to vigorous competition) can drive efficiency in delivery and asset management. Introducing private finance also provides additional discipline and scrutiny of risk (for example, financier due diligence and oversight). The PPP model can also be expected to deliver improved and more consistent road asset conditions under a PPP commercial structure involving an appropriate KPI and abatement regime.
• On a ‘whole-of-life’ cost comparison basis, PPPs have been documented to deliver better value for money outcomes as compared to traditional contracting delivery methods (separate, unbundled contracts) and have been successfully deployed across a range of sectors (including roads) in Victoria. These benefits are not only limited to cost savings but also include improved and more consistent road asset conditions. A focus on longer term, ‘whole-of-life’ contracting also incentives private sector innovation in terms of how best to maintain the asset over the term in the most cost effective and efficient manner.

Prior to the release of an invitation for EOI, a market sounding of the relevant industry, including sponsors, contractors, road maintenance providers and financiers, was undertaken. The feedback from this process supported the State’s selection of a PPP model to deliver the Project and achieve the State’s objectives.

Along with a calculation of the ‘Public Sector Comparator’ that they used to argue that a PPP saved the government money.

The Public Sector Comparator is an estimate of the hypothetical, risk adjusted, whole-of-life cost of the Project if delivered by the State. The PSC is developed in accordance with the output specification and risk allocation proposed for the private sector party arrangement and is based on the most likely and efficient form of conventional (that is, non-PPP) delivery by the State.

The PSC is expressed in terms of the net present cost (NPC) to the State, calculated using a discounted cash flow method taking full account of the costs and risks that would arise through State delivery. The PSC includes amounts for the design and construction of Arterial Road Upgrades and Initial Rehabilitation Works, as well as maintenance and lifecycle and other costs during the Maintenance Phase of the Project.

The PSC is made up of a number of elements as contained in Table 7.

Components of the PSC	NPC ($millions)
Arterial Road Upgrades and Initial Rehabilitation Works (construction costs)	$ 622
Maintenance and lifecycle costs	$ 438
Raw PSC	$ 1,060
Transferred risk	$ 100
Proposal Comparable PSC	$ 1,160

The quantitative value for money assessment, as demonstrated by the estimated savings between the Proposal Comparable PSC and the final Proposal is shown in Table 8.

Public Sector Comparator (NPC – $millions)	$ 1,160
Final Proposal (NPC– $millions)	$ 1,133
Estimated savings (%)	2.3%

Something much easier to understand is the scope – divided up into three objectives:

Arterial Road Upgrades (ARU)

The design, construction and financing of eight ARUs in Melbourne’s west during the Initial Phase, consisting of:

• The duplication of Dunnings Road between Point Cook Road and Palmers Road and the duplication of Palmers Road between Dunnings Road and Overton Road;
• The duplication of Palmers Road between Overton Road and Boundary Road and Robinsons Road between Boundary Road and the Western Freeway including the realignment of Palmers Road across Sayers Road;
• The duplication of Derrimut Road between Sayers Road and Dohertys Road;
• The duplication of Leakes Road between Fitzgerald Road and Derrimut Road;
• The duplication of Dohertys Road between Fitzgerald Road and Grieve Parade;
• The duplication of Dohertys Road between Foundation Road and Palmers Road;
• The duplication of Forsyth Road between Old Geelong Road and Wallace Avenue, including the re-alignment of Forsyth Road and Old Geelong Road; and
• The replacement of the existing Duncans Road Bridge over the Princes Freeway West and the addition of westerly (or Geelong) orientated ramps.

Initial Rehabilitation Works

Improvement works on road pavements and structures within the Maintenance Network during the Initial Phase to meet service standards.

Maintenance Services

Delivery of maintenance and lifecycle services (routine and periodic) within the Maintenance Network during the Maintenance Phase.

As are the key performance indicators Project Co is required to meet.

The KPIs set out in the KPI Summary of this Annexure B are separated into 7 categories, being:
1. Inspections;
2. Response;
3. Compliance;
4. Pavement performance;
5. Structures performance;
6. Reporting; and
7. Safety.

Which then explodes into an enormous level of detail regarding the Project Scope and Delivery Requirements (PSDR).

1.1 Hazard Inspection
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that safety inspections are carried out in accordance with the safety inspections requirements set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards.

1.2 Defect Inspection
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that inspections are carried out in accordance with the defect inspections requirements set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards.

1.3 Structure Condition Inspection
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that inspections are carried out in accordance with the condition inspections requirements set out in section 8.2(b)(i)(B) of Part F7 and section 8.3(b)(ii) of Part F7 of the PSDR and the Code of Maintenance Standards.

2.1 Hazard Response
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that the hazard response, from the time Project Co identifies a hazard by inspection or receives notification from the State or VicRoads of a hazard to the time the hazard is rectified by Project Co, is compliant with the requirements set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards.

2.2 Defect Response
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that the Defect response, from the time Project Co identifies a Defect by inspection or receives notification from the State or VicRoads of a Category A and/or a Category B Defect to the time the Defect is rectified by Project Co.

2.3 Emergency Response
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that the emergency response, from the time Project Co receives notification from the State or VicRoads of an Emergency Event to the time the Emergency Event is responded to by Project Co.

3.1 Code of Maintenance Standards
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that all activities (to the extent not already captured under KPI items 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3) set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards, under items RM411 to RM416 and RM611 to 613 and RM 615 identified in the Table 750.H11 -Routine Maintenance Intervention Criteria and Response are completed in accordance with the requirements set out in the section 7 of Part F7 of the PSDR.

3.2 Forecast Maintenance and Refurbishment Plan
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that all activities set out in the Forecast Maintenance and Refurbishment Plan are completed in accordance with that plan (as updated and reviewed by the State in accordance with the Review Procedures on an annual basis to reflect the condition monitoring of Project Assets).

3.3 Communications and Community Relations Plan During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that all activities set out in the Communications and Community Relations Plan are completed in accordance with that plan.

And into the gory details of road surface quality.

4.1 Roughness – Network based
During the Maintenance Phase (Initial), Project Co must ensure roughness limits set out in section 8.2(a)(ii) of Part F7 of the PSDR, are as a minimum achieved for pavement on the Project Roads.

4.2 Rutting – Network based
During the Maintenance Phase (Initial), Project Co must ensure rutting limits set out in section 8.2(a)(iii) of Part F7 of the PSDR, are as a minimum achieved for pavement on the Project Roads.

4.2.1 Rutting – Pavement Reporting Section based
During the Maintenance Phase (Full) an individual KPI Incident will occur for each 100m lane section of any Pavement Reporting Section failing to meet these requirements as set out in section 8.3(a)(iii)(B) of Part F7 of the PSDR.

5.1 Structures Performance
During the Maintenance Phase (Initial) in relation only to Existing Structural Assets, Project Co must ensure that Existing Structural Assets are operating at their designed load, speed, and availability levels with no restrictions applied, in accordance with the requirements set out in section 8.2(b)(i)(A) of Part F7 of the PSDR.

Submitting paperwork.

6.1 Asset Management System Availability
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure the Asset Management System is available to the State and VicRoads, in accordance with the requirements set out in section 1 of Part D of the PSDR.

7.1 General Reporting
During the Initial Phase, Project Co must submit Monthly Development Phase Progress Reports and the Monthly Maintenance Phase Performance Reports in accordance with the Deed.

And finally – Safety.

8.1 Safety
During the Initial Phase and Maintenance Phase, an individual Safety KPI Incident is an Event for incidents which result in a Lost Time Injury (LTI), Total and Permanent Disability or Fatality to any employee, or contractor, or consultant of Project Co or its contractors or sub-contractors in connection with the performance of the Services or Works.

at least they’ve created a lot of email jobs along the way.

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The story begins

Once upon a time Taylors Road was a road in the middle of nowhere, beyond the edge of suburban Melbourne.

Melway Edition 1, Map 13

But Melbourne soon caught up, with boom barriers provided at the level crossing in 1986, and suburban electric trains to Watergardens station following in 2002.

Weston Langford photo

And so in 2006 the Taylors Road Project was given the go ahead to remove the level crossing.

The Taylors Road rail underpass project eliminated a railway level crossing and a five-leg roundabout between Carbine Way and Kerrison Avenue in St. Albans, Melbourne’s north-west. This AU$54 million project constructed a new road underpass beneath rural-metropolitan rail lines improving safety for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, rail users and eased traffic congestion.

The first stage of the main contract was to transfer traffic south of the roundabout to provide sufficient work area to construct the rail bridge. The bridge was constructed on two concrete beams east of the existing railway line, minimising disruption to the rail services. Once this 1200 tonne rail bridge was completed, a 56 hour weekend occupation of the railway line was programmed for October 2007 to jack the bridge into its final position with replacement buses provided in lieu of the normal rail services.

Following successful placement of the bridge that weekend, the next stage was to complete excavation under the rail bridge, construction of associated retaining walls and the road beneath including the a signalised intersection. Road traffic was transferred under the bridge in September 2008 and the project was officially opened at the end of November 2008, ahead of time.

Google Street View imagery from December 2007 shows work on the new bridge well underway.

Google Street View December 2007

With the next Google Street View run in January 2010 showing a completed underpass.

Google Street View January 2010

And the cracks begins

November 2017 I first noticed the underpass looked a little decrepit – with rusted steel beams supporting a cracked concrete wall, with staff in hi-vis looking it over.

But Google Street View suggests those beams had been there since 2014 at least.

Google Street View Feubrary 2014

The props were still there in 2018.

And by 2022 they’d been joined by a few pieces of sheetmetal.

And then in February 2023 – survey prisms has also been added.

Just in time for VicRoads to announce they were finally going to fix the problem.

Maintenance works at Taylors Road and East Esplanade
Location: Keilor Downs
Type: Road Status: Underway
We’re completing maintenance works on the retaining wall at the corner of Taylors Road and East Esplanade.

As part of these works we will also be installing new pavement surface on a section of East Esplanade Service Road and Taylors Road Service Road.

What we’re doing

– Remediation works on the retaining wall at Taylors Road and East Esplanade
– Installing a section of new pavement surface on East Esplanade Service Road and Taylors Road Service Road
– Repainting the retaining wall.

When to expect us

You may see crews on site from Monday 6 February as they complete site investigations and begin to establish a worksite ahead of works commencing Monday 13 February. Works are expected to take seven weeks to complete, weather permitting.

Works will take place Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm and some Saturdays, as required.

What to expect

During these works, you can expect:

– Temporary lane and footpath closures on Taylors Road and East Esplanade with signage and traffic controllers in place
– Temporary closure of Taylors Road Service Road and East Esplanade Service Road. Traffic controllers will be in place to assist residents accessing their property
– Temporary impacts to on-street parking on Taylors Road Service Road and East Esplanade Service Road
– Non-local traffic wanting to access Taylors Road Service Road and East Esplanade Service Road will be detoured via Charles Street and Power Street
– Reduced speeds during works to ensure the safety of our crews and motorists
– High levels of noise and dust, we’ll work towards minimising these impacts as much as possible.

With the new road surface and patched up retaining wall visible when I went past a few weeks ago.

I wonder what other bits of crumbing infrastructure are also propped up across Melbourne.

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Road trip time

The Bulla Organics Facility was opened in 2013 at a cost of $15 million by Veolia and is part of the ‘Eco-Hub’ operated by Hi-Quality Group outside of Sunbury, and processes 85,000 tonnes of green organics, lawn clippings, garden waste and food scraps annually; which are converted into 40,000 tonnes of compost and 20,000 tonnes of mulches.

Every day dozens of rubbish trucks from councils across Melbourne arrive at the site – such as Merri-bek.

Nillumbik.

And Melton – and unload the green waste onboard.

A front end loader then moves the piles of organic material into large piles.

Where contamination such as loose shopping bags is visible.

And plastic bags filled with who knows what.

So a mechanical screening machine is used to do the initial sorting of the incoming waste.

Fine bits come out the bottom.

And the big bits head into a sorting shed, where six workers spend their day stand beside the conveyor belt picking out anything that isn’t organic.

Dropping the rubbish down a chute into skip bins down below.

The contamination rate of incoming green waste is about 3% – so the amount of rubbish removed forms a massive pile after just a few days.

Once the waste has been screened, the wheel loader moves it into a shredder.

And then it gets moved into the composting shed.

Where there are 14 composting cells, each of 300 cubic meter capacity.

Incoming organic waste is placed in the cells and covered over, reaching a temperature of 55 degrees which is maintained for 72 hours to kill off any seeds and insects.

Seven to ten days later, the door is opened.

And inside is an immature compost.

Covered in fungus.

A wind shifter is used to remove any remaining pieces of plastic.

But unfortunately some still makes it through.

Then the material is sorted by size – the large pieces are mulch.

And the fines as compost.

Which is then stockpiled outside the shed awaiting delivery to horticultural businesses and broad acre farmers.

Fire risk and smells

Even after being removed from the composting cells, the material is still quite hot and emits steam.

So fire hose reels can be found around the site.

As well as a powerful fire pump system.

To control the odours inside the shed, a negative pressure biofiltration system has been installed.

Air being sucked out of the shed.

And pumped through a filtration bed outside.

And wheelie bins?

The biggest piece of contamination in the waste stream was something unexpected.

Wheelie bins!

Apparently having a bin fall inside the rubbish truck on collection day is a common occurrence.

So they get screened out of the incoming waste stream.

Then separated out into plastic to be recycled.

And wheels that are returned for reuse.

Further reading

The Bulla site uses a method known as “in-vessel composting”

In-vessel composting (IVC) is a group of more advanced composting systems where the process is fully contained within a vessel or building, and closely controlled to accelerate the composting process. IVC is particularly suited to more odourous waste streams such as food waste and the organic-rich fraction separated from mixed residual waste as part of mechanical biological treatment.

IVC can be an energy intensive process, predominantly for the power to provide the forced aeration. Typically, temperatures between 55ºC and 65ºC are achieved by IVC processes because the heat is contained in the vessel (any more than 65ºC is harmful to the bacteria involved). Higher sustained temperatures have the advantage of destroying potentially pathogenic organisms in the waste and can also be used to dry material if desired (bio-drying).

IVC is a more intense form of composting but is often used to partially decompose and pasteurise the waste, followed by a secondary open composting and/or maturation phase. Hence the duration of the in-vessel phase will typically be between two and four weeks. This reduces the capacity requirement of the more expensive IVC phase but also adds to the overall site footprint requirement when the open windrow phase is included.

Odours are contained and captured by ensuring vessels are sealed and air is continuously extracted to maintain the vessel under negative pressure. The extracted process air is usually treated through a biofilter. The waste is also contained from vermin and protected from weather conditions, including rainfall which might produce excessive leachate. Any leachate that does seep out during the composting process is captured and recirculated back into the compost.

The specific process used being:

Process:
• Pre work: to take out visible hazardous and large items;
• Decontamination: 6 – 8 sorters plus 2 loader operators;
• Shredding: to bring material to an even particle size;
• Composting Vessels: 14 composting vessels. 300 cubic meters each. Forced aeration in the vessels;
• The material remains in the vessel at 55C for 72 hours to kill of any seeds /bugs, then in the vessel for a further 7 to 10 days;
• 800 air holes in each floor. Air extracted from the top and feed back into the floor through the 800 holes. Constructed using retractable tarp roof and removable (by loader) front feed doors;
• Windrow for 4 to 6 weeks – prefer windrows outside. No advantage to be inside apart from odour control. Capital cost is high with under cover systems. Leachate management is an issue, and sufficient leachate ponds required;
• Screening for various sizes;
o <20 mm compost; o 20 -60 mm mulch; o > 60 mm oversize; and
• Wind shifter to remove any soft plastics.

Major Markets:
• Broad acre farming; and
• Urban Soil Blends.

The gate fee for Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) is around $85/t.

When material is transported to agricultural areas (up to 350 km) transport becomes the highest cost in the whole process.

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Precast concrete everywhere

The most obvious usage of precast concrete on the West Gate Tunnel Project is the tunnels themselves.

Each of the 3-lane tunnels requiring 2500 precast concrete segments to line the interior.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

But the massive viaduct running above Footscray Road also requires tonnes of precast concrete.

Piers to hold up the two carriageways.

Then there is the bridge deck itself.

Assembled using a giant mobile gantry.

From shorter sections of precast concrete.

Enter LS Precast

In a paddock outside Benalla is a yard filled with massive pieces of precast concrete.

Google Maps

Cranes everywhere.

Each massive piece of precast concrete was created inside an bigger sheds.

Then stacked up outside.

Google Maps

Hundreds of tunnel lining segments waiting to make the trip to Melbourne.

Multiple times a day, A-double semi trailers departs the yard.

On the 200 kilometre, two and a half hour drive down the Hume Highway to Melbourne.

There they thread their way through the western suburbs to West Gate Tunnel work site.

The precast concrete elements that make up the elevated viaduct above Footscray Road are also manufactured at Benalla.

But since these elements are much larger.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

They need to be transported by specialised low loader trucks.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

To spread their extreme weight across the road surface.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

What about trains

Benalla is on a railway line, and so is Melbourne – so why not transport all of these pieces of precast concrete by train? Well, that is exactly what the government said would happen.

New Benalla manufacturing facility to create hundreds of jobs for rural and regional Victorians
1 Feb 2018

Victoria’s largest precast concrete manufacturing facility will be built in Benalla to supply major Victorian infrastructure projects, create 400 jobs and provide a massive boost to the local economy.

The $60 million facility will be operated by local businesses and will supply precast concrete for major projects including the West Gate Tunnel Project.

The facility will be capable of producing up to 1,500 tonnes of concrete product per day at peak capacity.

Benalla’s access to road and rail infrastructure means the facility is well placed to supply future Victorian and interstate projects, creating ongoing economic benefits to Benalla and surrounding communities.

To limit the number of trucks on local roads, the precast concrete segments for the West Gate Tunnel Project will be transported to Melbourne by freight train.

A new 700m rail siding will be built along the existing rail line in Benalla to provide a direct link between the precast facility and Melbourne.

The West Gate Tunnel Project will provide an estimated $11 billion boost to the Victorian economy, creating 6000 new jobs.

Construction of the Benalla precast facility is due to commence in March 2018, and it will be fully operational from October 2018.

With a railway siding constructed right into the casting plant at Benalla.

New Rail Siding For Benalla Precast Concrete Facility
25 September 2018

Work has started on a huge rail siding to service the new precast concrete facility being built in Benalla.

Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan joined Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes to visit the worksite today, that will soon start producing precast concrete for the Andrews Labor Government’s West Gate Tunnel.

A new 700 metre siding will be created from the existing rail line to provide direct access to the precast facility.

New rail track will also be built – connected to the nearby freight line – so the concrete segments can be loaded directly from the precast facility on to freight trains and transported to Melbourne.

About 20 metre of new track has been laid and the existing train line is being upgraded ahead of the commissioning of the new siding in late 2018.

Construction is well underway on a new $60 million precast concrete facility in Benalla in readiness for concrete production.

The facility will initially provide over 65,000 concrete products for the massive West Gate Tunnel Project.

Excavators are currently levelling the site and the steel frames are going up for the three large sheds to be built on the site.

The precast facility will include a concrete batching plant, the large sheds for precast concrete production, offices, precast product storage, maintenance areas, a precast rail siding and 300 car parking spaces for workers.

The precast facility will be the largest of its kind in Victoria, capable of producing over 1,500 tonnes of concrete product per day at peak capacity.

The precast facility will create 400 jobs and will help ensure regional communities can benefit from the many opportunities created by the state’s booming infrastructure sector.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan

“It’s fantastic to see the progress being made on this, the largest precast concrete facility of its kind in Victoria.”

“Building the new rail siding means that we can get concrete products from Benalla to Melbourne via the existing rail network, avoiding heavy vehicle traffic and associated road impacts.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes

“This is a massive investment in Benalla and we are already seeing jobs being created for local people with construction well underway.”

“This facility nearly didn’t happen due to the Liberal and National parties’ opposition to the project, I’m proud that my home town of Benalla and people throughout the north east share in the benefits of the Andrews Labor Government’s West Gate Tunnel.”

But by October 2020 their messaging had changed.

By having the concrete segment facility in Benalla, it ensured that regional Victoria benefited from our state’s infrastructure boom – creating jobs and providing a boost to the local economy.

The facility is supplying a variety of precast concrete products for the West Gate Tunnel Project and was selected due to its proximity to local quarries, its production capability and the easy access to Melbourne via transport networks . These products come in a range of sizes, shapes and weights.

A number of precast segments are not suitable to transport by freight train and will be delivered to West Gate Tunnel work sites by truck, using approved truck routes. The project team is exploring which precast segments are suitable to transport to Melbourne via rail. We’ll keep you updated through these channels as things progress.

The rail siding is clearly visible in the aerial view on Google Maps.

Google Maps

But as fas as I know, the rail siding at the Benalla precast yard has never been used by trains, and none of the precast segements have been transported by rail – however the cement used to make the segments did get moved by rail to Benalla station.

Footnote: some videos

Building the concrete precast facility at Benalla.

And flying over the completed yard.

Test fitting tunnel lining segments.

Delivering precast segments to the West Gate Tunnel work site.

Assembling the bridge columns.

And an animation showing how the bridge builder above Footscray Road works.

Footnote: other recent projects

The concrete segments for the Metro Tunnel were cast at a yard at Ravenhall, only 30 kilometres from their final destination.

While the precast concrete for the ‘Skyrail’ bridges were initially cast 50 kilometres away at Pakenham, and are now cast 70 kilometres away at Kilmore.

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On the downstream side is the original 1936 bridge, with art deco-styled decorative parapets, pillars, and light fittings.

And beside it a far more utilitarian concrete bridge completed in 1992.

In the beginning

Lynch’s Bridge was an early crossing place on the Maribyrnong River for those headed west of Melbourne, with owner of the neighbouring Pioneer Hotel, Michael Lynch, operating a punt on the site from 1849. A competing crossing was operated by Joseph Raleigh at Maribyrnong, which replaced his punt with a bridge in 1858.

SLV photo IAN20/12/66/4

And so in 1863 Michael Lynch petitioned the government for permission to replace his punt with a pontoon bridge, provided he was granted a half acre of land on the eastern bank of the river for the abutments and approaches.

Members of the Essendon and Flemington Council not in favour of private bridges, and the matter was debated, with one local resident questioning the motives of Lynch.

In September 1864 a motion was passed to prohibit Lynch from building a bridge, but it soon rescinded, with the new bridge in use for Melbourne Cup Day 1864.

‘Flemington Racecourse from the Footscray side of Salt Water River, Victoria ‘ by J Ryan

Local residents found the toll gate a nuisance, but Lynch talked up his bridge, telling Western District sheep and cattle owners they only needed to pay a single toll if headed to the sheep and cattle yards on the opposite bank.

As a result in 1866 the Essendon and Flemington Council proposed purchasing Mr Lynch’s bridge, as did the Footscray Council in 1867. However it took until in 1882 for the bridge to be brought under public ownership, the Footscray Council abolished the toll and requesting the Commissioner of Public Works pay the reminder of the loan.

A replacement bridge

However that was not the end of the saga – in October 1901 Lynch’s Bridge was closed by the Public Works Department due to it falling into disrepair, and a Mr J. Byers erected a pontoon bridge beside it to carry traffic to Flemington Racecourse, for a “small toll” of one penny. The debate as to who should fund the cost of a new bridge continued in the months that followed, with a tender finally awarded in December 1902 – eighteen months since the bridge was closed.

MMBW plan 781

The new bridge opened without ceremony in May 1903, after contractors finished their work and left it open for traffic, with members of the Flemington and Kensington Council holding an official opening a few days later, without the involvement of the Footscray Council who also funded it.

SLV photo H2151

The new bridge was built of timber, and had a lifting span in the middle, which sometimes caused delays to river traffic, and had high ongoing running costs.

Haven’t we been here before?

September 1929 was a familiar event – Lynch’s Bridge closed after being declared unsafe for traffic, reopening after temporary repairs were completed over a three week period.

The Footscray Council and the City of Melbourne then considered a number of options for a permanent crossing – a new five span reinforced concrete bridge for £38,750, a new three span steel bridge for £35,900, or extending the life for the existing bridge for five years for £2,250. The Footscray Council objected having to fund half the cost of a new bridge, delaying the start of construction, with an agreement finally reached in January 1936 for the Country Roads Board to pay half the cost of the project.

Opened in 1939, the new Lynch’s Bridge was built on a different angle to the timber bridge it replaced, allowing Ballarat Road to be realigned to meet Smithfield Road, eliminating a dangerous curve on the Footscray side. The Footscray Council suggested naming the new bridge ‘Gent’s Bridge’ after the Town Clerk of Footscray, but it came to nothing.

Traffic troubles

As Melbourne grew, the amount of traffic using Lynch’s Bridge grew – 43,000 vehicles per day using it in 1989, half the volume that used the West Gate Bridge. And the area became known as a blackspot for motor vehicle crashes, with the 1985-88 period seeing 79 separate incidents, including 16 head-on collisions, and nine deaths.

The Age, 23 November 1989

Leading in November 1989 to a coronial inquest being opened into a number of recent fatalities at the site.

Excessive speed was the main cause of car accidents on Lynch’s Bridge in Kensington, an inquest on three deaths on the bridge was told yesterday.

Sergeant Noel Osborne, of the accident Investigation section at Brunswick, said that despite measures to make the four-lane bridge safer, most vehicles approached it too fast. 

The deputy state coroner, Mr Graeme Johnstone, is holding joint inquests on Kevin John Lewis, 35, of Broadmeadows, and Emily Jane Stonehouse, 4, of Werribee, who were killed in an accident on 23 October 1988, and Matthew James Simmons, 25, of Box Hill, who died in an accident on 14 February this year.

Lynch’s Bridge crosses the Maribyrnong River near Flemington Racecourse. The approach from Footscray, on Ballarat Road, has three lanes that narrow to two before a sharp left-hand bend on to the bridge. The Smithfield Road approach, from Flemington, is two lanes.

Sergeant Osborne, asked by Mr Johnstone to suggest safety measures, said that even if the Ballarat Road approach was narrowed to one lane in an effort to slow traffic, he believed many drivers would still try to take the bend too fast. He said the answer was to duplicate the bridge.

“That in my mind is the answer. We certainly would not be having the head-ons as we are now. The number of people killed at this location has caused me great concern. It appears that not a great deal has been done.”

Mr John Connell, of the Roads Corporation, said speed cameras had shown that more than 70 per cent of vehicles approaching the bridge on Ballarat Road travelled faster than the 60 kmh speed limit. The fastest speed had been 139 kmh despite signs recommending 55 kmh.

Peter James McDonald, a truck driver from Maidstone who crosses Lynch’s Bridge regularly, said that at the time of the accident involving Mr Simmons, the camber of the road pulled vehicles to the right as they turned left on to the bridge from Ballarat Road. The inquiry is continuing

The inquest heard that duplication of the bridge had been proposed in 1975, with the cost in 1989 money estimated to be $3 million.

In his findings to the 1989 inquest, Coroner Graeme Johnstone noted that the 1938 bridge was not unsuitable for the volume and speed of traffic passing over it, recommending that the Ballarat Road approach to the bridge be restructured so that the three-to-two lane merge is further from the sharp bend onto the bridge, and that the VicRoads make duplication of the bridge a priority in their road improvement program.

As a result, a duplicate bridge on the upstream side of original bridge was completed in 1992, allowing the 1936 bridge to be dedicated to westbound traffic.

The duplication of Lynch’s Bridge and road approaches at Flemington was opened to traffic in April 1992 and has eliminated one of Melbourne’s worst accident blackspots. In accordance with a Coronial Inquiry recommendation to fast track the works, new technology for bridgeworks and roadworks construction was used. Road approaches over poor ground conditions utilised polystyrene as lightweight fill – a first for VicRoads and Australia. The method reduces road settlements to manageable levels and achieves cost savings over more conventional alternatives. The project was completed in June 1992 at a cost of $5.5million.

And finally – another upgrade

In August 2019 it was announced that Lynch’s Bridge would be upgraded as part of the Western Road Upgrade public–private partnership.

A National Trust-listed bridge which was once the main gateway to Melbourne’s west will be upgraded this week as part of the Victorian Government’s Suburban Roads Upgrade.

Member for Footscray Katie Hall today announced the start of important work to rehabilitate the Ballarat Road Bridge, under the $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade.

The crossings over the Maribyrnong River are steeped in history, with the outbound Lynch’s Bridge built in 1936 and heritage listed for its “historical and technical significance” by the National Trust in 2005. Millions of Victorians and visitors would have crossed this bridge in some form.

Lynch’s Bridge also holds technical engineering significance, as one of the first steel and concrete crossings designed so the reinforced concrete deck works together with the steel beams.

The historic five-span bridge sits alongside its more modern counterpart known as the Smithfield Bridge, which was built in 1990.

The 108-metre bridges will undergo work to strengthen them for the future for up to 45,000 vehicles which travel over them every day.

It is anticipated they’ll be used by up to 50,000 cars and trucks daily by 2031.

The art-deco style of Lynch’s Bridge will be preserved as safety barriers are upgraded on both bridges, and footpaths and drainage will also be improved.

There will be some lane closures in place as this work is underway to ensure road crews can work safely and quickly.

Work included.

– removed old barriers and replaced them with new safety barriers
– installed cathodic corrosion protection to protect the metal bridge supports from rust and deterioration
– resurfaced the road on the bridges and on approach to the bridges
– removed features no longer needed such as broken lights.

You had to look close to see the changes.

Major Roads Project Victoria photo

But the big new crash barriers are easy to see when driving past.

But one thing that is obvious is the focus on motor vehicles, not active transport.

The bridge has enough space for a grass median strip!

Yet pedestrians are forced into a narrow footpath.

And cyclists are given a narrow strip of asphalt, centimetres from passing vehicles.

Pretty crap upgrade, isn’t it?

Footnote: water under the bridge

When I visited Lynch’s Bridge in December 2020, I noticed these new looking steel additions to the piers of the 1992 bridge.

My initial thought was strengthening work linked to the Western Road Upgrade project, but turns out I was wrong – it’s actually linked to the West Gate “Tunnel” Project.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

A post on their Facebook page dated 11 November 2021 mentioning the work.

West Gate Tunnel Project crews have started working on modifications to streamline the piers on the Smithfield Road Bridge.
These works will help during high flows in Maribyrnong River and mitigate flooding once our new Maribyrnong River bridge is built. Gaps between the columns will be filled with concrete to create a wall type pier with rounding at both ends.

The works required to compensate for new piers in the Maribyrnong River at Footscray.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

Forming part of the elevated roadway between Footscray Road and the actual West Gate “Tunnel”.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

And the work at Lynch’s Bridge seems to have flown under the radar – the only other mention of it I could find was a single line in the West Gate Tunnel Project “Final Report for Submission to the Minister for Planning” for March 2019 to August 2019.

Flood mitigation works completed at Smithfield Bridge

I wonder what difference these works made to the October 2022 Maribyrnong River flood?

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Some history

The 2.5km long West Gate Bridge consists of two concrete box girder approach viaducts, 871m and 670m long, and an central 848m cable stayed steel box girder span over the Yarra River. The pier height varies, with a maximum height is 48m.

Except for the portion over the river, practically the full length of the bridge is above vacant land and can be accessed from below by means of elevated work platforms.

Ace Tower Hire photo

But for the portion of the bridge over the river, four permanent maintenance platforms were provided beneath the steel spans.

Operated from two runway beams, three of the platforms dated back to the construction of the bridge in the 1970s, with a fourth installed in 1995, these gave access for routine inspections, as well as minor works such as washing and patch painting.

Upgrade time

In 2006 the State Government announced that they would upgrade the West Gate Bridge to carry an additional lane of traffic, taking it to five in each direction.

Scaffolding was setup underneath the bridge to allow the necessary strengthening works to take place.

Including suspended platforms.

And an elevated lunch room!

The most noticeable change being the outriggers added to the steel span to support the load from the additional traffic lane.

But this presented a problem – it would block the passage of the existing maintenance platforms.

Two options were considered – a replacement system of maintenance platforms, or the acquisition of a mobile bridge inspection platform that would be deployed as needed.

The solution – an upside down crane

This weird looking thing is a MBI 200 under-bridge access unit, custom designed by Moog GmbH in Germany specifically for the Westgate Bridge.

Victorian Government photo

The State Government boasting in a September 2012 media release.

Australia’s largest Mobile Bridge Inspection Platform will improve access for maintenance inspections on Victoria’s most iconic bridge, Minister for Roads Terry Mulder said today.

Roads Minister Terry Mulder announces a mobile bridge inspection platform will replace permanent hanging inspection platforms for the West Gate Bridge, providing more efficient and cost effective maintenance.

Mr Mulder said the mobile bridge inspection platform would replace permanent ‘hanging’ inspection platforms for the West Gate Bridge, providing more efficient and cost effective maintenance.

“Mobile bridge inspection platforms are becoming more and more common on large bridges around the world as sustainable and cost effective maintenance tools,” Mr Mulder said.

“I’m very pleased to launch this innovation in Victoria, which will provide a great cost saving, as we do away with expensive and heavy permanent inspection platforms that span nearly one kilometre.

“It also improves access to all areas under the West Gate Bridge with an expanding platform that can extend for 20 metres under the bridge deck.

‘This will make it is easier for maintenance inspectors to see more of the underside of the bridge and because it is mobile, they can manoeuvre it to exactly where they want to be,” Mr Mulder said.

In what can only be described as an ‘upside down crane’, the unit includes a 17 metre boom arm that extends over the bridge barriers and lowers the inspection platform in place.

In order to stabilise such a large operation, the base truck, at 12 metre in length, has six axles when in operation and weighs 37 tonnes.

“The Mobile Bridge Inspection Platform has come to Australia all the way from Germany and is a great example of Victoria delivering innovative solutions to manage key infrastructure well into the future.”

When in operation, the unit will require two lanes to be closed on the West Gate Bridge to complete an inspection. These will be conducted during off peak periods and at night to reduce delays to traffic.

The bridge inspection unit completed initial testing on the yet to open Nagambie Bypass.

Moog GmbH photo

Showing off the capability of the machine.

Moog GmbH photo

And looking like a transformer in the process.

The inaugural use on the West Gate Bridge was scheduled for Saturday 22 September between 6:00am and midday.

Moog GmbH photo

Two lanes of traffic being closed, while the machine was in use.

Moog GmbH photo

But following the successful commissioning of the unit, it is usually deployed in the dark of night, to minimise the amount of disruption to traffic.

Footnote: more details

Some facts and figures

– 12 metres long
– 2.5 metres wide
– 4.4 metres tall
– 37 tonne mass
– 800 kilogram maximum payload
– 20 metre long access platform
– 17 metre long boom arm
– 6 effective axles when in operation

The under-bridge access unit is mounted atop a Scania 8×4 chassis, with two auxiliary axles able to be lowered to provide additional stability to the vehicle while in use, removing the need for outriggers. Movement of the vehicle while deployed is via 200mm diameter hydraulic driven rollers bearing on the top of the one set of tyres, providing accurate creep control.

VicRoads diagram

Along the boom modular aluminium access scaffold are provided to give access to the underside of the bridge. Additional equipment includes a 12Kva generator providing 415 and 240 volts to power tools, LED lighting, air compressor, water tank and pump, and a hydraulically operated telescopic lift.

VicRoads diagram

Footnote: and other bridges

The West Gate Tunnel project recently used an under-bridge access unit to inspect Shepherd Bridge in Footscray.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

But they used a ABC 150/LST unit built by Barin Italy, supplied by Ace Tower Group.

Further reading

• West Gate Bridge: mobile bridge inspection platform: Polymenakos, D; Silla Sanchez, J; Noonan, J; Austroads Bridge Conference; 2014
• Australia’s largest ‘upside down crane’ to improve maintenance inspections on West Gate Bridge: Victorian Government media release; 2012
• West Gate Bridge Strengthening Project: Australian Construction Achievement Award paper
• Delivery of MBI 200 to Melbourne: Moog GmbH
• West Gate Bridge: Ace Tower Hire

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The example I found was on Anderson Road in Sunshine, and offered travel times to Taylors Lakes.

Via two routes – McIntyre Road and Sunshine Avenue through Keilor, or Forrest Street and Station Road through Deer Park.

Someone mentioned they first started seeing them between Melbourne’s first two lockdowns, and then I remembered the ‘Keeping Victorians Moving’ package that the Victorian Government blew $340 million on back in June 2020.

Keeping Victorians Moving During Coronavirus
30 June 2020

The Andrews Labor Government is making it easier for people and goods to get around Melbourne with better technology, more specialist staff and stronger enforcement of clearways in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll today unveiled a $340 million package of measures to make it easier for people and freight to get around on our roads.

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered the way Melburnians move around the city with more people now expected to use cars to get around.

The number of people making trips on Melbourne’s roads each day is increasing, with road traffic now only 17 per cent below normal levels, while passenger numbers on public transport are 71 per cent less than the same time last year.

To keep Melburnians moving during this time, we’re ramping up direct traffic interventions by tasking more response crews and traffic engineers with tackling congestion hotspots, incidents and blockages on the network.

Three key traffic hotspots in the western, eastern and south eastern suburbs of Melbourne will also be blanketed with the technology and resources to help keep traffic moving, reduce delays and provide drivers with better traffic information.

Almost 700 CCTV cameras will be installed to identify bottlenecks as soon as they start and more than 200 wireless travel time sensors and 40 new visual message boards will put live traffic data in the hands of our traffic management centre and drivers.

Six extra incident response crews and dozens more specialist traffic engineers will be hired to keep our roads moving around the clock – creating jobs and reducing delays from unexpected events.

The timing of hundreds of traffic lights – along with traffic patterns and crash data – will be analysed and re-sequenced to maximise traffic flow along some of the busiest routes in the targeted areas.

So that’s one of the 40 visual message boards installed around Melbourne – at a cost that had increased to $388 million when it was included in the 2020-21 Victorian Budget.

The Department of Transport started the objective of the initiative was:

To maximise arterial road performance and minimise unnecessary delays for all road users with more dedicated onroad capability and technology.

And detailed their progress as of May 2021.

Key activities include:

• Roll out of 691 CCTV cameras, 210 Bluetooth travel time detectors, 42 live travel time signs and 75 dynamic pedestrian detectors and perform signal route reviews on 759 sites and provide greater visibility of the road network
• Procurement of a situational awareness system, implement an improved data fusion model and deploy 7 fixed and 4 mobile Air Quality emissions stations across metropolitan Melbourne.
• Recruitment of 154 roles, including congestion managers and surveillance staff.
• Procurement of additional new vehicles for the onroads teams.

Progress achieved against key Government outcomes:

• Asset deployment team has delivered 520 CCTV cameras, 193 Bluetooth detectors, 26 permanent variable messaging system (VMS), 27 dynamic pedestrian detectors and 2 vehicle detectors.
• The draft data fusion model is in operation, Trial Air Quality emissions station has been deployed and a contract for four mobile Air Quality stations has been awarded.
• Six Incident Response vans have arrived and are undergoing fit-out.

And the breakdown of funding per budget year:

2020-21
$108.7 million

2021-22
$45.7 million

2022-23
$28.9 million

2023-24
$28.9 million

That only adds up to $212.2 million, so what about the other $176 million – perhaps another six years of operating costs, at $28.9 million per year.

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An inspection of map 43 of Melway Edition 1 shows a completely different road layout existed through Southbank back in 1966.

Melway Edition 1: Map 42

And on the ground, a ‘Formerly Nolan Street’ sign marks the St Kilda Road intersection.

Google Street View 2019

But help is at hand – in 2015 the City of Melbourne commissioned an ecological, heritage and cultural place assessment covering Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street.

The current path of Southbank Boulevard commences at St Kilda Road and follows a route south-west to a point just before the Yarra bank at the site of the Falls and Queen’s Bridge.

It corresponds with the former route of Nolan Street, which was formed in 1888 in gazetted in 1895). It then crosses a path parallel with the former route of Ireland Street (formed by 1886) but at a point just north of Ireland Street, before following the route of what was formerly Maffra Street (gazetted in 1895).

Henry Cox’s map of Melbourne dated 1865 shows the absence of development in the area.

Extract from Henry Cox’s map of Melbourne dated 1865

But by 1879 the land had been drained, with industrial complexes and warehouses being constructed on the land.

Extract from 1879 map of harbour works to be undertaken by Melbourne Harbour Trust

Being fully developed by the time this 1931 aerial photo was taken.

1931 aerial photo, via Land Victoria Historic Aerial Photography Library)

The St Kilda Road end had been beautified by the 1960s.

1967 photo from the Laurie Richards Collection, Item MM 54017, via Museums Victoria

But the rest of the area was still industrial.

1960 aerial photo, via Land Victoria Historic Aerial Photography Library)

Including the banks of the Yarra River, where the Sandridge Bridge carried the Port Melbourne and St Kilda railway over Maffra Street.

Photo by Weston Langford

But the road layout remained the same until the 1980s.

Melway map 2F, 1986

Bur change came following the conversion of Swanston Street to a pedestrian mall.

The decision being made to join Nolan and Maffra Streets in South Melbourne to create an alternative thoroughfare for city-bound traffic when Swanston Street was first closed to traffic.

The 1987 Melway shows the proposed road as dotted line.

Melway map 2F, 1987

And by the 1988 edition more detail was included, including Southbank Boulevard as a dual carriageway, and associated closures of side streets.

Melway map 2F, 1988

The swathe carved through South Melbourne by the completed road is visible in this 1989 aerial photo.

1989 aerial photo, Land Victoria Historic Aerial Photography Library

With the 2015 heritage statement listing the buildings cleared for the road.

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) plan of 1896, shows that the new section of road cut through the courses of Bridge Street (the remainder of which is now Fawkner Street), Kavanagh Street, Moore Street and Sturt Street, and that in the intervening blocks is overran the premises of several industrial premises, including most substantially the following:

• ‘Stone works’ between City Road and Bridge Street;
• ‘Cork works’ between Bridge Street and Kavanagh Street; and
• ‘Engineering works’ (exact type not specified), including rails for trams and a travelling crane.

During its first few years of operation, up to 40,000 vehicles a day used Southbank Boulevard – compared to the 50,000 vehicles per day that currently use Kings Way.

Melway map 2F, 1991

As Melbourne continued to reorientate itself towards the Yarra River with the redevelopment of Southbank, the railway viaduct across South Melbourne was demolished in 1993, leaving just a stub of the Sandridge railway bridge behind.

Photo by Weston Langford

Opening up the intersection of Queensbridge Street and Southbank Boulevard.

Robin Smith / Getty Images

And the land on the western side of Queensbridge Street was turned over for the construction of Crown Casino.

Photo by Weston Langford

In 1996 questions were asked as to what purpose Southbank Boulevard served.

Mr Batchelor (Thomastown)

I raise for the attention of the Minister for Planning and Local Government the relationship between the CityLink Southgate interchange and the proposed Queens Bridge square, and the impact of these two developments on traffic flows.

In particular, the opposition wants a guarantee that drivers will have options other than ending up in the casino car park. The Southgate interchange has already been dubbed Spaghetti Junction, but despite that confusing,complex and ugly structural monstrosity, it is clear that its prime traffic function is to deliver thousands of cars a day to the back door of the casino.

The opposition seeks from the Minister for Planning and Local Government an assurance that all traffic options will continue to be available; that there will be adequate capacity for all cars travelling in the variety of directions that they need to; that additional capacities and directions will be available to cars so that they will have other options available to them other than ending up in the casino car park; and that they will be able to exercise those options.

It is not just a question of direction but also capacity, particularly when one is travelling along Power Street and turning left into City Road. The traffic lights at the intersection must allow for a sufficient volume of cars to make left-hand turns into City Road so that they are not forced to travel back to the CityLink.

With the government stated Southbank Boulevard was more than just a road into the Crown Casino car park:

Mr MacLennan (Minister for Planning and Local Government)

The honourable member for Thomastown raised a matter regarding the traffic management in areas in the City of Melbourne to the south of the Yarra River.

The casino site was chosen because of the elements of traffic to which the honourable member referred. Why would one have a casino on that site? Because it provides the opportunity of having a number of roads coming to the 2500 car parking spaces that the casino was required to build as part of the project. Naturally with 2500 spaces one would expect that there would be a lot of traffic movement towards them.

Indeed, casino legislation passed by Parliament with the support of the opposition requires the construction of a car park entrance in the Queens Bridge square area, which will lead in part to the casino car park. The casino legislation passed by Parliament requires certain other traffic measurements to be taken.

And flagged that the land beside the river could be turned into a public square.

Mr MacLennan

We are examining the creation of a Queens Bridge square -it will not be a square but more like a circle – to enable the Southbank Promenade to be extended further down the river.

It will not be possible to avoid pedestrian traffic at a level where trams and motor traffic cross Queens Bridge. It has been considered whether pedestrians could go under the bridge, but unfortunately it would mean they would have to be barricaded off from the water of the Yarra River. Therefore we are examining an alternative route going over the bridge, thereby avoiding clashes with trams and car traffic.

As part of the proposal for an appropriate treatment for the Queens Bridge circle, it may be that post-CityLink Southbank Boulevard does not continue through that area, so that the circle area will become a space dedicated to people rather than cars and traffic.

Crown Casino opened in May 1997.

With an entry to the car park leading off Southbank Boulevard.

Via a long underground tunnel.

The end for Southbank Boulevard finally came in 2001, when the city connection was closed to make way for Queensbridge Square and the Freshwater Place development.

Atop the car park entrance the ‘Red Stair’ amphitheatre by Marcus O’Reilly Architects was completed in 2005.

Followed by the reopening of the Sandridge Bridge for pedestrians in 2006.

Photo by Donaldytong, via Wikimedia Commons

With traffic along Southbank Boulevard down to 13,000 vehicles a day following the closure, in 2015 the City of Melbourne unveiled an even more radical proposal – converting the unused road space to parkland.

Worked started on the Transforming Southbank Boulevard project in 2018, with work due to be completed by 2020.

Further reading

Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street: Ecological, Heritage and Cultural Place Assessment by Context Pty Lft for the City of Melbourne, October 2015.

And a technical footnote

The section of Southbank Boulevard between Queensbridge Street and Riverside Quay formally closed on 30 April 2002

While the section between Riverside Quay and City Road was rescinded as a main road a few days later on 9 May 2002.

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A crash involving two trucks and four cars has closed part of Melbourne's Monash Freeway this morning.

But incredibly, police say no-one was seriously hurt.

Three people have been taken to hospital, two with minor injuries and the third is in a stable condition. pic.twitter.com/cs8h2x7FXJ

— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) July 24, 2019

Cleanaway started operating their fleet of massive A-Double trucks from May 2017, following the opening of the South East Melbourne Transfer Station in Dandenong.

The facility acts as a consolidation point for rubbish collected from residential and commercial customers in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, where it is compressed into semi-trailers.

Then trucked 60 kilometres across Melbourne.

Eventually ending up at Ravenhall, where it is dumped into the Melbourne Regional Landfill.

On opening the South East Melbourne transfer station accepted a total of 580,000 tonnes of waste per annum, and has EPA approval to increase to a peak of 650,000 tonnes by 2029.

Assuming 286 operational weekdays per year, this means 2028 tonnes of rubbish needs to be moved per day – increasing to 2273 tonnes per day once the transfer station reaches design capacity.

Transported by A-double vehicles with an average load of 43 tonnes per truck, this give as weekday average of 47 trucks per day, increasing to 53 trucks per day at the peak – or six trucks per hour!

No wonder pedestrians avoid the road to Caroline Springs station like the plague.

A short history of these ‘monster’ trucks

Back in 2009 VicRoads commenced a two year trial of bigger ‘High Productivity Freight Vehicles’ serving the Port of Melbourne.

But with plans to introduce them elsewhere:

The use of next generation High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) on key dedicated routes has the potential to reduce the number of trucks by almost a third, and reduce emissions and the cost of travel by up to 22 per cent on these routes.

With Victoria’s freight task forecast to approximately double by 2030, next generation HPFVs will be an important way to mitigate increasing congestion, emissions and the cost of our goods.

The trial of next generation HPFVs is an important step in the implementation of a Performance-Based Standards approach to heavy vehicle regulation in Victoria and the broader introduction of new, safe and efficient freight vehicles.

In 2013 the number of roads available to these massive trucks was expanded, following the adoption of the ‘Moving More with Less’ plan, and the types of trucks expanded to include 30-metre long A-doubles in 2017 thanks to the Performance Based Standard (PBS) scheme for trailers.

But is there another way?

Travelling from the Cleanaway transfer station at Dandenong South to the tip at Ravenhall is a 60 kilometre long trip across Melbourne, that takes around an hour via the Monash Freeway, CityLink, West Gate Bridge, Western Ring Road, and Deer Park Bypass.

But the Boral quarry next door to the Ravenhall tip already has a railway siding.

Which branches off the Ballarat line at Caroline Springs station.

With just a 1.3 kilometre drive between it and the tip.

The South East Melbourne Transfer Station is also near a rail siding.

Located on the Cranbourne line at Lyndhurst.

It may be a 7 kilometre long drive across Dandenong South.

But the siding is the site of a future inland port:

Salta’s Lyndhurst terminal is located near Dandenong
• 50,000 m/3 warehouse constructed for Bunnings
• Terminal yet to be constructed
• PRS shuttle trains would use:
• Broad gauge Pakenham & Cranbourne suburban rail lines
• Broad gauge V/Line & ARTC lines between Southern Cross and the Port

So why wasn’t the South East Melbourne Transfer Station built at the Lyndhurst intermodal terminal, with rubbish loaded into containers then transferred by train across Melbourne to Ravenhall, then trucked the last leg of the journey to the tip face?

Sydney proves it works

In 2004 Sydney ran out of space to bury their rubbish, so the Woodlawn open-cut mine near Goulburn was converted into a rubbish tip. Rubbish is loaded at the Clyde transfer station in western Sydney, but instead of a fleet of trucks, it is loaded onto a train.

Photo by Grahamec, via Wikimedia Commons

Each week six 55-carriage trains make the 250-kilometre journey, carrying 1200 tonnes of rubbish each time.

And back to Melbourne

Think moving bulk freight across Melbourne by rail won’t work?

Well, every weekday 1500 tonnes worth of worth of gravel roll through Flinders Street, loaded at a quarry in Kilmore East and bound for Westall.

As does 2000 tonnes of containers headed from Gippsland to the Port of Melbourne.

And 3000 tonnes of coil steel, headed for Hastings.

All three trains have been running since the 1970s – which proves that if there is a will to get freight onto rail, there is a way.

Sources

Melbourne Regional Landfill – Ravenhall.

• A new era in Melbourne’s south east as Cleanaway opens SEMTS (May 5, 2017)
• Traffic and Transport Assessment for the Melbourne Regional Landfill – Ravenhall (14 September 2016)

Bigger trucks.

• Monash Freeway reopens after multi-vehicle smash at peak hour, herald Sun (July 25, 2019)
• Victorian high productivity vehicles, Advantia Transport Consulting
• Victoria’s new HPFV networks for 30-metre A-doubles, Advantia Transport Consulting
• HPFVs – Moving more with less, VicRoads
• Performance Based Standards, joint report by the NHVR and ARTSA (2019 Edition)
• PBS Vehicle Configurations, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
• Port Rail Shuttle Project Outline

Rubbish trains in Sydney.

• A complete space of waste, Sydney Morning Herald (August 2, 2004)
• Woodlawn Bioreactor, Veolia

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Five roads meet at the level crossing:

• High Street
• Edwardes Street
• Broadway
• Cheddar Road
• Spring Street

Forming a tangle of roads at the level crossing.

Way back in the 1980s the Railway Construction and Property Board looked into fixing the mess, and how the government could profit from grade separation.

The Engineering Division has continued to perform a wide range of tasks during 1981-82, including the examination of feasible options for incorporating commercial development, over railway tracks to be lowered, as a consequence of a proposed grade separation of the railway and High Street at Reservoir.

As did the Road Construction Authority, but they decided to kick the can down the road.

Options for improvements to Reservoir Rail Level Crossing and associated intersections were released in a Discussion Paper in October 1985.

The improvement schemes would reduce the current high traffic congestion levels, unsatisfactory accident record and traffic/pedestrian conflict. The investigation concluded that in the shorter term improvements to traffic movement and safety could be made by low cost at-grade intersection improvements.

Provision of grade separation by lowering the rail lines could follow later.

With VicRoads delivering a $12 million package of intersection upgrades instead.

After two years construction, the Reservoir level crossing project has been completed at a cost of $ 12m. Many improvements have been made to the intersections of Broadway with High Street, Spring Street with Edwards Street and High Street with Cheddar Road and Spring Street.

Linking has been improved between the various public transport modes, with increased commuter car parking for public transport users. The intersection modifications to the four intersections has improved safety for pedestrians and vehicles. For some traffic movements there has been a reduction in delays, particularly during peak periods.

Which were officially opened by Minister for Transport Peter Spyker on 27 April 1992.

It’s only taken 30 years, but work has finally started on grade separating the intersection – with the new viaduct and elevated Reservoir station is due for completion in 2020.

But the interesting part is to look at the long list of other road upgrade projects mentioned in the same 1986 Road Construction Authority annual report – what happened to them?

Western Bypass Investigation

This study to examine the form and precise location of a new road connection between the southern terminal of Tullamarine Freeway and Footscray Road commenced in late 1984.

The ‘Western Bypass’ was rolled into the CityLink project of the 1990s and extended south to the West Gate Freeway, opening in 2000.

Originally built with three lanes in each direction, in 2008 an extra lane opened.

Eastern Corridor – Doncaster to Ringwood

In its early stages the Metropolitan Roads Access Study (METRAS) identified traffic congestion, together with the associated environmental and safety effects both on arterial and local roads, as a major issue in the Eastern Corridor.

One possible traffic management option to relieve these problems was seen to be the development of an arterial road along the Eastern Road Reservation. This road could extend from the Eastern Freeway Terminal at Doncaster Road to the Maroondah Highway at Mt Dandenong Road, Ringwood.

The Eastern Freeway extension was opened to Springvale Road in 1997.

Then extended to Ringwood in 2008 as part of the EastLink.

Pascoe Vale Road Relief Study (PVRRS)

In September 1985, the Minister for Transport announced his support for the Pascoe Vale Road Relief Study recommendation that a 7.8 km section of the R5 outer ring route be constructed between Sharps Road, Tullamarine and Mahoneys Road, Fawkner.

Opened in 1992 as the first section of the Western Ring Road.

Then an extra lane added in 2009.

Calder Highway – Diggers Rest to Gisborne

Investigations into the future development of the Calder Highway between Diggers Rest and Gisborne were completed in early 1986. This work included a review of initial proposals in the light of submissions received from affected property owners, concerned Shire councils and various government agencies. A summary of the review, together with an outline of the Adopted Proposal for the duplication of the highway with provision for long term development to freeway standards, was released in May 1986.

The Diggers Rest bypass was opened in 1993, duplication to Kyneton completed in 2003, and to Bendigo by 2009.

Princes Highway West – Dennington to lllowa

A summary of investigations into the future development of this section of the Princes Highway was released to affected property owners, Council and various government agencies in October 1985. This section of the highway has low geometric standards and a higher than average accident rate, and the pavement will require major rehabilitation in a few years time if it is to be retained for State highway traffic.

The proposed realignment, which makes use of a portion of the closed Dennington to Port Fairy railway line would improve overtaking opportunities and increase safety by reducing the frustration of drivers and the conflict between through traffic and access to abutting land.

Completed in the 1990s.

That’s five out of five road projects completed, with three of them having received further expansion since they were initially completed.

Sources

• Road Construction Authority 1986 annual report

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