Rising to the Challenge

The construction of the road corridor to Townsville Port traversed vast tracts of mangrove mud flats and salt pans. Due to sensitive environmental landscape stringent environmental specifications were required.

Examples amongst others were mangrove mud flat rehabilitation and planting, the establishment of salt grass reestablishment of, flora and fauna, provision for nest boxes and air entrained pipes at the abutments to discourage dolphins from approaching the construction area where piles were.

Before project commencement the construction site had to be sampled and tested for AFFF’s (Aqueous Fire Fighting foam) contaminants.

As excavations were predominantly in acid sulphate soils. All excavated material had to be treated to mitigate for sulphur leachate and contamination of surface water.

Lena Creek in west Queensland starts near Mica Creek at an elevation of 397m and ends at an elevation of 354m flowing into the River. The Lena Creek drops around 43.3m over its 4.76km length.

The Construction of the Lena Creek Culvert Structure was a flood immunity project between Mount Isa and Mica Creek power station on the Diamantina Developmental Road (Mount Isa – Dajarra) This project was proposed and constructed to improve power station workers’ access when Lena Creek floods.

This project was constructed in partnership with Townsville City Council. The intent of the construction was to mitigate for leachate flows from the historical Townsville Dump into the Ross River. The riverbank was lined with a layer of impermeable clay and dressed in revetment/erosion rock.

Impervious clay material was sourced from Calcium’s Marathon Quarry which characteristics required a very stringent specification. This material was transported with side tippers to Townsville Ferry Terminal and then onto Magnetic Island by the Fanta Sea’s Jubilee Barge.

The design was based on the prototype constructed on the Cambridge Crossing River. The causeway was constructed from Plastic Track-matt as the road platform