Addressing the site’s complexities through value engineering.
SMEC were engaged by Fulton Hogan to provide detailed design services including alignment, drainage, flooding, geotechnical, structural and pavement design. Over the two years of construction we formed a strong partnership with Fulton Hogan and delivered exceptional project outcomes.
In partnership with Fulton Hogan, we implemented a detailed design that addressed the site’s complexities through innovation and value engineering.
In designing five bridges, three key engineering innovations reduced the total bridge length (across the project) by more than 150m, representing a 30% reduction in bridge length from the Reference Design and providing a few million in construction savings to the project.
In making design improvements, our specialist teams made best use of the available land that had several challenging elements. The Albion Park Rail Bypass is adjacent to a nearby airport, and is located on a flood plain, which features soft, compressible soil. It is also close to the nearby railway line and existing highway.
Delivering award winning innovations
In addition to delivering award winning innovations, the Albion Park Rail Bypass was delivered six-months ahead of schedule, significantly reducing congestion and improved travel times on the M1 Princes Motorway.
The Albion Rail Park Bypass is a significant infrastructure project supporting the growth and development of the Illawarra region by reducing congestion at a notorious bottleneck, improving travel times and most importantly, driver safety. Freight and transport services will also see economic benefit in fuel and time savings.
Across the project, SMEC’s innovation and engineering excellence has saved hundreds of hours in design, with the total construction cost saving approaching $10 million. The benefits that this project will deliver for the community are realised through the innovative engineering solutions developed to meet the challenges of the site and to enable successful construction.
This project is an outstanding example of SMEC specialist teams using technical innovation to set new benchmarks and maintain high standards for Australian engineering.