At this stage, no funding has been allocated for the construction of the upgrade. The outcome of the Planning Study will allow TMR to confidently apply for funding to upgrade the highway across the Herbert River floodplain under the future Nation Building (post 2014) program. Once funding is secured a construction date will be announced.
TMR has thoroughly investigated the option of upgrading the existing Bruce Highway through Ingham, but this is not a viable option due to the potential impacts of raising the highway to meet the desired flood immunity standard. Such impacts included increasing flooding of nearby properties upstream, resuming some on-street parking and parts of Rotary Park for construction purposes, as well as restricting direct access to business premises. Furthermore, options to upgrade through town did not address the safety issues associated with the current mix of local traffic, through traffic and pedestrians nor the need to improve traffic flow for current and future traffic volumes.
The option to upgrade the highway north of the John Row Bridge through to the Cardwell Range was also discounted. Attempting to construct a new highway on the existing highway under traffic would greatly increase the time and cost of construction, and result in significant local and regional traffic delays over a long period. The new highway would also sit at a higher level than the current road. For these reasons, TMR would need to build two lanes next to the existing highway and acquire land for future duplication. The bends at the Gairloch washaway and Ripple Creek also need to be fixed as they do not meet current road safety standards.
Options east of Ingham were considered during the identification of the zones of interest; however, these are not viable for a number of reasons, which include:
The planning study commenced in October 2008, and is anticipated to take up to three years to complete. The development of alignments will depend on the outcomes of community consultation, environmental, cultural heritage, flooding and design analysis of each potential alignment. It is anticipated that a preferred alignment will be finalised by early 2011. Community engagement consultants (EBC) will keep the community informed of progress throughout the study.
All three alignment options impact on the Obstruction Limitation Surface (OLS) of the air strip. This refers to the clearance zone aircraft require to land and take off from the airstrip. The runway would need to be extended further west in negotiation with the aerodrome operators to maintain the functionality of the airstrip.
The current John Row Bridge does not meet the flooding criteria or current highway design. The John Row Bridge remains suitable for local traffic and will be used as part of the existing road network. The only load restriction that applies to the bridge is the movement of a 48 tonne crane.
The John Row Bridge remains suitable for local traffic and will be used as part of the existing road network.
This will be decided in consultation with the Hinchinbrook Shire Council when the preferred alignment is decided. It is likely that the existing highway (or sections of) will be downgraded to a local road but will remain a state controlled road to provide connection to the new highway from other state controlled roads in the area.
Access to the beaches will remain unchanged from Ingham. Access to Ingham from the highway will be via intersections at Townsville Road and Abergowrie Road. Motorists travelling from the north will still be able to use Halifax/Bemerside Road to access the beaches by turning off the new highway at Arnot Creek.
The new highway will overpass (grade separate) any crossing of the cane tramline network; however, all crossing treatments will be discussed in consultation with CSR. Crossings on the existing highway will remain unchanged.
TMR will use current engineering and geotechnical methods to build an elevated highway across the old dump site. The remaining material from the old dump will either be treated or dug out. TMR and its contractors will take precautions during the construction of the highway to limit any offsite impacts.
Environmental field work undertaken as part of the planning study has confirmed that Ripple Creek is essential habitat for mahogany gliders and cassowaries. An environmental regulators’ meeting was convened with representatives from QPWS (Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service), DERM (Department of Environment and Resource Management) DEHWA (Department of Environment, World Heritage and Arts) to discuss the feasibility of cutting through the middle of Ripple Creek. The environmental regulators confirmed that TMR would be unable to acquire the necessary permits to impact on a large section of the Ripple Creek vegetation, even if mitigation measures were implemented. They advised that the crossing of Ripple Creek must minimise any potential impacts to the mahogany glider habitat. The potential crossings within the “zones of interest”, whilst narrow, may still require the implementation of mitigation measures such as glider poles. TMR will also consider ways to mitigate other potential impacts to environmentally sensitive areas such as connectivity planting, revegetation, habitat restoration, fauna underpasses and overpasses and fish passages.
No environmental approvals or permits have been applied for at this stage of the planning study. This will be completed once a preferred alignment is chosen. TMR has liaised with the environmental regulatory bodies to establish what conditions will be placed on the project for potentially crossing areas of environment significance. The highway is unlikely to impact on the natural wetlands; however, some approvals will still be required if it is built nearby. The project team is in negotiations with both the Tyto Wetlands Steering Committee and the regulatory bodies to identify and minimise potential impacts through this area.
TMR is not attempting to flood-proof the highway, but rather reduce the frequency and duration of road closures caused by flooding. The standard that TMR wants to achieve is an Annual Average Time of Closure (AATOC) of no more than 10 hours and a maximum time of closure of 48 hours for a Q50 flood event (a severe flood). This means, on average, that the highway should not be closed for more than 10 hours each year due to flooding, and, in an extreme flood event, that it should be closed for no more than 48 hours. This will be consistent with other projects in the region that are located in major floodplains, such as the newly upgraded section of road south of Tully.
Drainage structures will be provided through the road embankment to minimise this sort of effect. TMR has engaged WBM to undertake flood modelling to ensure the highway does not act as dam. The flood model of the Herbert River will help determine the amount of drainage structures required to prevent a significant back up of water.
TMR has a duty of care under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 to identify, manage and protect cultural heritage. The cultural heritage team needs to walk the alignment options to identify any tangible evidence of previous aboriginal occupation. Ethnographic information and oral history records are also researched to identify non-tangible evidence of cultural heritage significance.
No. The Cardwell Range Project area extends from the southern side of the crest of the range to the railway line at the bottom of the northern side of the range. The detailed design for Cardwell Range project has been finalised and the tender process for construction is currently underway. For more information about the Cardwell Range Project, please contact the project team by:
Telephone: 1300 139 824 (recorded message)
Fax: (07) 4772 6335
Post: PO Box 2447, Townsville, Qld, 4810
Email: ingham@ebc.net.au