Albion Park Rail bypassProject update | January 2020

Construction of the bridge over Frazers Creek and the new Croom Regional Sporting Complex access road | November 2019. Inset: the new East West Link

Next section of the East West Link opening in FebruaryThe next section of the new East West Link will open to traffic in mid-February, weather permitting. This work was planned for January however has been rescheduled following an update to the construction program.

This stage of the project will include permanent changes to access to Woollybutt Drive and Durgadin Drive from the existing East West Link, as both of these roads will become cul-de-sacs.

A new set of traffic lights is being installed at the intersection of Woollybutt Drive, Princes Highway and Nehme Avenue which will allow easier access onto the Princes Highway from Woollybutt Drive.

Once access to Durgadin Drive from the East West Link has been removed, the business park in Albion Park Rail will be accessed from the Durgadin Drive and Colden Drive intersections at the Princes Highway.

The remainder of the new East West Link between Durgadin Drive and the Oak Flats Interchange is expected to be open to traffic later in 2020.

Managing dust during constructionTo build the bypass we need to move about five million tonnes of earth, hard rock and road building material using heavy earthmoving equipment. Construction of any major infrastructure project of this scale generates dust, particularly in periods of hot, dry and windy weather.

We have a number of processes in place to help reduce dust in the area. Some of the main techniques include:

• minimising exposed dirt and gravel surfaces to reduce the amount of potential dust sources

• using compactors and rollers to prevent loose materials from becoming airborne during windy conditions

• sealing exposed dirt and gravel stockpiles with hydromulch, grass seed, soil binding products or fabric covers

• suppressing dust on active areas using mulch or water carts to dampen dust.

We have developed a more detailed fact sheet outlining how we manage dust and water use during construction which is now availble on the project website: www.rms.nsw.gov.au/aprb.

Bridge construction underwayConstruction of the project’s thirteen bridges is well underway, with the first ‘Super-T’ bridge girders arriving on site in November.

The first bridge to receive these girders crosses over Frazers Creek and the new Croom Regional Sporting Complex access road.

The 28-metre long bridge girders weigh about 53 tonnes each and were transported to site between 2am and 6am to minimise impacts to motorists.

Other bridges that have started girder and concrete plank installation include the twin bridges over Yallah Road, Macquarie Rivulet bridge and the bridge over Duck Creek.

The community will be kept informed as more girders are delivered as part of the project and when these bridges will be open to traffic.

What is hydromulch?

One of the most effective forms of dust control is establishing permanent landscaping as early as possible. We do this using topsoil and spray on seed mixes, commonly called “hydromulch”.

Hydromulch consists of a mixture of water, seed, fertiliser, mulch, tracking dye and binding agent. It is commonly used as an erosion control and dust suppression method and is used to vegetate large areas of land quickly.

The hydromulch used on the Albion Park Rail bypass project consists of native seed mixes combined with fast growing cover crops. The cover crop species are selected to significantly help reduce dust and erosion while avoiding competing with the growth of native species in the long term.

In 2019, more than 330,000 square metres of completed earthworks was landscaped using hydromulch as part of permanent landscaping for the project.

What is a Super-T girder?Super-T girders are large precast, pre-stressed concrete beams which provide structural support to bridge decks. They are named after their T-shaped cross sections and are able to span longer distances than other types of girders.

A total of 85 Super-T girders and 620 planks (a shorter type of girder) are required for construction of all bridges on the project.

Girder delivery in November 2019.

Work experienceIn November, Fulton Hogan launched a work experience program on the Albion Park Rail bypass project, aimed at encouraging Year 10 students from local high schools to learn about the different career paths available in the civil construction industry.

The week-long program exposed students to the different aspects of delivering an infrastructure project including planning, design, construction, community relations, environmental management, resourcing and project management.

The students participated in structured sessions and site tours, gaining real life experience before presenting a pitch to the project team for a construction project of their own.

“The [program was] very interactive and very welcoming - more goes into building a road than anyone would know.” - Work experience participant.

Work experience students on a site tour.

Following a successful pre-employment course earlier in the year, the Albion Park Rail bypass hosted a second group of job seekers in December as part of the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program.

The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program is a statewide NSW Government initiative that aims to boost the number of skilled construction workers and create fresh pathways to employment across the state.

The second pre-employment course took place over four weeks and focused on engaging and supporting the local refugee community. The Albion Park Rail bypass team will be looking to transition a number of graduates from this course into employment through a traineeship on the project. We will also be working closely with our subcontractors to help identify other opportunities for employment in the local area.

Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program

Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program participants - Justin, Claude, Dario, Rukumbuzi, Piang, Desire, Gedeon, Ryleigh and Zeinab.

• Over 2,000 workers have been inducted onto the project, including Transport for NSW and Fulton Hogan project team staff, suppliers and subcontractors

• A section of the new East West Link is now open to traffic and further sections will be opened in early 2020

• Traffic lights have been installed at the intersection of Woollybutt Drive, Nehme Avenue and the Princes Highway, Albion Park Rail

• A section of the new Croom Regional Sporting Complex access road is now open.

2019 in review• Work on the project is now about 40%

complete with more than 80% of earthworks now complete

• More than 90% of the utility service relocations required for the project are now complete

• Work on all of the bridges has now started

• Over 1 million man hours have been worked since construction started

• The new Yallah Road is now complete and open to traffic

Contact us

If you have any questions or would like more information on the Albion Park Rail bypass project please contact the project team on:

1800 708 727

APRbypass@fultonhogan.com.au

rms.nsw.gov.au/aprb

Albion Park Rail bypass teamPO Box 1014Albion Park Rail NSW

If you need help understanding this information, please contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call us on 1800 708 727.

January 2020RMS 20.008

Privacy Roads and Maritime Services (“RMS”) is subject to the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (“PPIP Act”) which requires that we comply with the Information Privacy Principles set out in the PPIP Act. All information in correspondence is collected for the sole purpose of delivering this project. The information received, including names and addresses of respondents, may be published in subsequent documents unless a clear indication is given in the correspondence that all or part of that information is not to be published. Otherwise RMS will only disclose your personal information, without your consent, if authorised by the law. Your personal information will be held by RMS at 90 Crown Street, Wollongong NSW 2500. You have the right to access and correct the information if you believe that it is incorrect.

Aerial image looking south at the Central Interchange (southbound exit ramp into Albion Park) in November 2019. Aerial images can now be found on the project website.

The project team have created a series of short videos that are now available to view and share online.

The videos include information about project activities including construction processes, our participation in the NSW Government’s Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program and other project initiatives such as Fulton Hogan’s safety cut-outs and our partnership with disability services organisation, Flagstaff Group.

Monthly aerial images of the project are also uploaded to the website regularly and show how much the project has progressed.

To view these and more, visit: www.rms.nsw.gov.au/aprb

Website update

New Yallah Road openMotorists are now driving on the newly realigned Yallah Road which opened to traffic in December last year.

The upgrade to this local road includes a 3.5 metre wide shared path for pedestrians and cyclists and has provision for future road widening if required.

The new Yallah Road passes under a 28 metre long twin bridge which will become part of the completed bypass. This underpass will keep local communities connected and allow for work on the bypass to continue in the area.

The new Yallah Road opened to traffic in December 2019.