Agenda of Growth and Infrastructure Committee

Item No.	Item Title	Page No.
1	Exercise Of Delegation Report	7
2	Court Action Status Report	14
3	**Redbank Plains Road Upgrade Corridor Plan - Stage 4	26

Growth and Infrastructure Committee

Meeting Agenda

17 March

2020

Doc ID No: A5892032

ITEM: 3

SUBJECT: Redbank Plains Road Upgrade Corridor Plan - Stage 4

AUTHOR: Senior Engineer (Transport Planning)

DATE: 2 March 2020

Executive Summary

This is a report concerning the outcomes of a corridor planning study for the upgrade of Redbank Plains Road between the Cunningham Highway and Collingwood Drive (Stage 4).

Recommendation/s

That the Interim Administrator of Ipswich City Council resolve:

A. That the preferred alignment and configuration of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A and Stage 4B Upgrade, as outlined in the report by the Senior Engineer (Transport Planning) dated 2 March 2020, be adopted and be used to inform future detailed design activities.

B. That the footprint of the adopted alignment and configuration of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A and Stage 4B Upgrade (refer Recommendation 1 above) be protected through Council’s strategic corridor preservation, tactical property acquisition and development assessment activities.

C. That the properties identified in the report by the Senior Engineer (Transport Planning) dated 2 March 2020 as being impacted by the footprint of the adopted alignment and configuration of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A and Stage 4B Upgrade (refer Recommendation 1 above) be flagged as an interest to Council for future strategic road purposes in Council’s property database.

D. That the ‘order of cost’ identified in the report by the Senior Engineer (Transport Planning) dated 2 March 2020 for the preferred alignment and configuration of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A Upgrade (refer Recommendation 1 above) be noted and considered for future investment programming activities.

E. That an appropriate communication strategy be developed and implemented for Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A Upgrade as the project progresses through the detailed design process.

RELATED PARTIES

Due to the confidential nature of this information, the related parties to the project are contained in Confidential Attachment 1.

There was no declaration of conflicts of interest by the project team.

Advance Ipswich Theme

Managing growth and delivering key infrastructure

Purpose of Report/Background

Strategic Context

The City of Ipswich Transport Plan (iGO) is Council’s masterplan for Ipswich’s transport future. To meet the vision and objectives of iGO, aspirational mode share targets have been set and a list of actions for each element of the transport system provided. One such action for the road network is, “R2: Continue to undertake corridor planning studies to investigate and determine the need, route, configuration, footprint, engineering and environmental feasibility and costings of the road network development projects outlined in iGO.”

Redbank Plains Road is a strategically important arterial road between the Cunningham Highway and Ipswich Motorway, which links the Ipswich CBD to Redbank Plains, Springfield and Goodna (refer Figure 1). To accommodate the forecast population and employment growth in the area, iGO (Map 8 and 9) identify the need for Redbank Plains Road to be upgraded for road capacity, connectivity and safety purposes.

Figure 1 – Excerpt from iGO Map 8 – Road Capacity and Connectivity Map

* All route alignments and configurations shown are subject to future investigation and corridor planning.

Council has been progressively planning and implementing the upgrade of Redbank Plains Road in stages. Stages 1 and 2 between School Road and Keidges Road have been completed, including the major intersection upgrade at Redbank Plains Road and Collingwood Drive. Stage 3 from Keidges Road to Kruger Parade is currently in detailed design, with early work anticipated to commence in the 2020-2021 financial year. Stage 4 of the Redbank Plains Road Upgrade extends from the Cunningham Highway to Collingwood Drive as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 – Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 Corridor Planning Study Location

It must be noted that the extents of Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 also form part of a future ‘strategic bus corridor’ in iGO and part of a ‘principal cycle route’ outlined in iGO, the iGO Active Transport Action Plan (ATAP) and Queensland Government’s Principal Cycle Network Plan (SEQ PCNP). The section of Redbank Plains Road between the Cunningham Highway and Newhill Drive also forms a secondary freight route as it serves as the freight access from the Cunningham Highway into the developing Swanbank New Chum Enterprise Park.

Scope

The purpose of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 Corridor Planning Study was to determine the future corridor footprint and the construction order of cost for an ‘interim’ road upgrade of Redbank Plains Road to a four lane urban standard from the Cunningham Highway to Collingwood Drive (referred to as Stage 4A) and a longer term ‘ultimate’ road upgrade to six lanes from the Cunningham Highway to Newhill Drive (referred to as Stage 4B). However, it must be noted that the primary focus of the study was on Stage 4A as Stage 4B is considered a longer term requirement beyond the 10 year capital portfolio.

The detailed scope of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 Corridor Planning Study is outlined in Table 1.

Table 1 – Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 Corridor Planning Study Scope

ELEMENT	DESCRIPTION
Length	3.4km
Function	Duplication of an Arterial Road
Connectivity	To provide a strategic road link between the Cunningham Highway and Collingwood Drive which meets current design standards and caters for the projected general traffic, public transport and active transport demands. Freight access is also to be catered for between the Cunningham Highway and Newhill Drive.
Geometric Design Speed	80km/h
Target Posted Speed Limit	70 km/h
Configuration	· Stage 4A = Interim = Provide a four lane arterial road from the Cunningham Highway to Collingwood Drive, including the duplication of the existing Six Mile Creek Bridge (for construction in the medium term 5 to 10 years) · Stage 4B = Ultimate = Longer term upgrade to provide six lanes from the Cunningham Highway to Newhill Drive, including a four-lane grade separation of Redbank Plains Road over the Newhill Drive roundabout (for longer term preservation, 10+ year)
Study Tasks	• Undertake a desktop review of existing information and previous studies • Assess physical conditions to identify existing land use, transport networks, transport facilities and infrastructure • Undertake a high level qualitative assessment of potential alignment options • Undertake a detailed assessment of short-listed alignment options • Hold a workshop with Council stakeholders to validate the option assessment and agree on a preferred option for Stage 4A and Stage 4B • Develop a concept design for the preferred option for Stage 4A and Stage 4B • Identify impacts and develop an order of cost estimate for Stage 4A and Stage 4B

Options Analysis

The option development process comprised:

· Identifying fixed points and constraints;

· Identifying option groups and locations;

· Undertaking an option assessment; and

· Holding a Council stakeholder workshop and post workshop discussions to determine a preferred option for both Stage 4A and Stage 4B.

However, compared to typical greenfield route planning studies, there were no fundamental differences with route alternatives along the corridor as the project objective was to develop a duplicated carriageway along the full length. Therefore, a qualitative assessment was also undertaken with consideration of the following attributes:

· Provision of safe access along and across the route for all modes;

· Encouraging safe active transport trips along the route;

· Infrastructure costs;

· Property impacts; and

· Engineering and construction feasibility.

Given the 3.4km length of the study area, the project objectives differ along the corridor, with the varying adjacent land use environments. To assist with the options assessment process, the project was divided into the following three sections (refer Figure 3).

· Section 1 – Cunningham Highway to Newhill Drive;

· Section 2 – Newhill Drive to Storey Street; and

· Section 3 – Storey Street to Collingwood Drive.

Figure 3 – Redbank Plains Road Upgrade Stage 4 Project Sections

The results of the options assessment for each project section and justification for the preferred alignment and layout overall is provided in Confidential Attachment 2.

Preferred Option – Stage 4A - Interim

A summary of the key features of the identified preferred alignment and layout for Redbank Plains Road Upgrade Stage 4A (Interim), based on the options analysis method identified above, is summarised below and illustrated on the concept plans provided in Confidential Attachment 3:

General features:

· Two 3.5m wide lanes for both carriageways;

· 2.0m wide sealed outer shoulder for both carriageways between the Cunningham Highway and Greenwood Village Road;

· 1.0m wide sealed median shoulder for both carriageways between the Cunningham Highway and Newhill Drive;

· 3.0m wide asphalt cycle track on the northern side of Redbank Plains Road between the Cunningham Highway and Greenwood Village Road, including at-grade crossings at Austin Street and the Newhill Drive roundabout;

· 2.25m wide on-road cycle lane for both carriageways between Greenwood Village Road and Collingwood Drive;

· Realignment and upgrade of the existing priority-controlled Greenwood Village Road intersection to traffic signals;

· Traffic signals at the proposed intersection with a primary access road to a proposed residential development located at 639 Redbank Plains Road; and

· A new two-lane bridge across Six Mile Creek for the westbound carriageway (ie. duplication of the existing bridge structure).

Section 1 – Cunningham Highway to Newhill Drive:

· Given the uncertainty regarding the timing and future investment in the upgrade of the Cunningham Highway Interchange by the State Government, Stage 4A has been designed to integrate with the existing highway interchange;

· Allows room for future widening for 6 lanes into the wide centre median by setting the outside sealed shoulder, kerb and channel and cycle track in their final positions;

· Retains the existing road for the eastbound carriageway, due to relatively new construction (circa 2009) and the condition of the existing infrastructure;

· Provides a new westbound carriageway to the south of the existing road;

· Provides kerb and channel on the outside shoulders in the final position for the Stage 4B layout, resulting in a 13.0m wide median including inside shoulders;

· Enables the Stage 4B Newhill Drive roundabout bridge to be constructed without altering the carriageway and ramp layouts to and from the Newhill Drive roundabout;

· Widens the westbound departure carriageway from the Newhill Drive roundabout to two lanes and realigns the existing left-turn slip and auxiliary lane from Newhill Drive;

· Restricts the Austin Street intersection to left in / left out access; and

· Provides a 3.0m wide asphalt cycle track on the northern side of Redbank Plains Road (refer Figure 4).

Figure 4 – Section 1 - Typical Cross Section

Section 2 – Newhill Drive to Storey Street:

· The Stage 4A layout between Newhill Drive and Storey Street comprises a new horizontal and vertical alignment for both carriageways to address the existing sub-standard geometry.

· Includes a signalised ‘T’ intersection at Greenwood Village Road, with the intersection alignment shifted approximately 40m to the south, to achieve geometric design standards, reduce earthworks, minimise impacts to existing significant utility services and to reduce impacts to the proposed development at 639 Redbank Plains Road.

· Includes a signalised ‘T’ intersection at the proposed development access for 639 Redbank Plains Road.

· Includes a 3.0m wide asphalt cycle track on the northern side of Redbank Plains Road to the west of Greenwood Village Road and 2.5m shared pathways and 2.25m on road cycle lanes on the northern and southern side of Redbank Plains Road east of Greenwood Village Road (refer Figure 5).

Figure 5 – Section 2 - Typical Cross Section

Section 3 – Storey Street to Collingwood Drive:

· The Stage 4A layout between Storey Street and Collingwood Drive follows the horizontal and vertical alignment for the existing road.

· There are limited works for the eastbound carriageway to tie the road and shared path into the existing Six Mile Creek Bridge. Line marking alterations are required on the existing bridge to reallocate the on-road cycle lane from the southern to the northern side.

· The existing Six Mile Creek Bridge will be duplicated to the south to facilitate the new western boundary carriageway, and ties into the existing Collingwood Drive intersection.

· Includes 2.5m shared pathways and 2.25m on road cycle lanes on the northern and southern side of Redbank Plains Road through to the Collingwood Drive intersection (refer Figure 6).

Figure 6 – Section 3 - Typical Cross Section

Preferred Option – Stage 4B – Ultimate – Section 1 Only

The Stage 4B (ultimate) concept design is illustrated in Confidential Attachment 4 and upgrades the Stage 4A layout between the Cunningham Highway and Newhill Drive with the following general features:

· Stage 4B has been planned to integrate with the State Government’s draft planning for the longer term upgrade of the Cunningham Highway interchange;

· Three 3.5m wide lanes for both carriageways between the Cunningham Highway and Newhill Drive;

· Two new two-lane bridges for each carriageway over the Newhill Drive roundabout for through traffic on Redbank Plains Road, with embankments and retaining walls on the bridge approaches.

· Widens into the Stage 4A wide central median to provide a 6 lane cross section, resulting in a 6.0m wide median to match the Redbank Plains Road alignment east of Newhill Drive. Elements shown in red on Figure 7 demonstrate the changes from Stage 4A to Stage 4B).

Figure 7 – Section 3 - Typical Cross Section

Property Impacts

The concept design for the preferred alignment for Redbank Plains Road Upgrade Stage 4A affects six Council owned properties and nineteen other properties for either permanent or construction only purposes (refer Confidential Attachment 5). No additional properties are affected to facilitate the longer term Redbank Plains Road Stage 4B upgrade. Design refinement will be undertaken during further project development and upon completion of detailed survey in order to optimise the design and minimise impacts where possible.

Financial/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

Order of Cost

The project cost estimate for the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A upgrade will be used to inform Council’s Long Term Financial Forecast and associated 10 Year Capital Works Portfolio. The cost estimate has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of TMR’s Project Cost Estimating Manual (PCEM) for an options analysis level estimate. The risk and contingency allowance has been calculated to be 59% based on the level of maturity of the concept design. This risk and contingency allowance falls within TMR’s typical contingency range of 40% to 70% for projects with a maturity level similar to the project.

It should be noted that Council’s cost estimating template would include a typical risk and contingency allowance of 30% for this level of design. Given the significant length of the Stage 4A upgrade (3.2km) and the ability to construct significant portions off line from the existing roadway, it is envisaged that there will be economies of scale and value engineering benefits that could be realised through the future detailed design and construction phases.

Table 2 summarises the project cost estimate for the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A upgrade including both a 30% and 59% risk and contingency allowance for comparison purposes. It is proposed to use the project cost estimate including the 30% risk and contingency allowance as per Council standard cost estimation process to inform Council’s Long Term Financial Forecast and associated 10 Year Capital Works Portfolio.

Table 2 – Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A Summary Cost Estimate

ITEM	STAGE 4A COST ESTIMATE ($m)
Contractor’s costs	$30.5
Principal’s costs including property costs	$5.3
Property costs component	$3.2
PUP costs	$7.8
Total base cost	$46.7
Risk and contingency allowance (%)	30%	59%
Risk and contingency value ($m)	$14.0	$27.55
Total risk-adjusted cost	$60.7	$74.3

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

A project of this size and nature will attract risks. Preliminary engineering design, hydraulic modelling, geotechnical analysis, utility service identification, stakeholder consultation and property impact identification appropriate to this level of transport planning activity has been completed as part of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 Corridor Planning Study and several risk areas identified. The project risks will need to be managed and mitigated where possible throughout the detailed design and construction phases.

A summary of the key identified risks for delivery of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A upgrade are as follows:

· The western portion of the study area (Cunningham Highway to Greenwood Village Road) has been subject to a range of former mining activities, with resulting ground cracking previous observed within the Redbank Plains Road corridor in the vicinity of the Newhill Drive roundabout;

· Areas adjacent to the corridor in the vicinity of the Greenwood Village Road intersection are designated as Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES) under the State Planning Policy, with State mapping identifying areas of regulated vegetation and wildlife habitat. Desktop and visual review of area with MSES designations do not appear to identify values that would affect the ability to realign Redbank Plains Road, because the areas have been previously disturbed by current and historical activities;

· The corridor crossing two mapped waterways, being Six Mile Creek and Six Mile Creek tributary;

· A significant number of utility services have been identified within the existing Redbank Plains Road corridor, which could be impacted by the future road upgrade. The concept design has sort to avoid impacts on major utility services where possible, however it should be acknowledged that service relocation costs are likely to be significant component of the overall project cost. A summary of the key known utility services within and crossing the corridor is included in Table 3; and

· The ability for Council to fund the delivery of the Stage 4A upgraded within Council’s Long Term Financial Forecast and associated 10 Year Capital Works Portfolio financial capacity.

Table 3 – Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A Major Utility Services

SERVICE	DESCRIPTION
Communications	Telstra / NBN / Optus fibre optic cables
Electricity Underground	Energex LV / 11kV / 33kV
Electricity Overhead	Energex / Powerlink
Gas	APA 110mm high pressure gas pipeline
Oil	Santos high pressure oil pipeline (currently inactive)
Water	Various QUU 150mm water mains
Sewer	QUU sewer mains crossing corridor

A summary of the key identified risks associates with not delivering the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A upgrade are as follows:

· The project is identified within the City of Ipswich Transport Plan (iGO) – as a Road Capacity Upgrade project required to service the planning population and employment growth;

· The project is the fourth stage of the planned Redbank Plains Road upgrade program, completing a key 4 lane arterial road connection between the Cunningham Highway in the west, Kruger Parade in the north and the Centenary Highway in the east (via Augusta Parkway). Stages 1 and 2 are completed and Stage 3 is currently programmed for construction in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 financial years;

· The project is identified within Council Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) with a forecast delivery timeframe of 2020; and

· The project is identified as a high priority project within Council’s annual Strategic Transport sub-program prioritisation report. The current daily traffic volumes operating significantly over the nominal capacity for the current standard of road, with rapid traffic growth observed (11% per annum growth) and a significant recorded accident history over the past 5 years.

· Significant future development within the Swanbank New Chum Enterprise is reliant on the delivery of increased road capacity between the Cunningham Highway and Newhill Drive.

A summary of the key actions required within the next phase of the of the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A upgrade design are as follows:

· Undertake detailed engineering survey and utility services field locating surveys;

· Undertake geotechnical investigation to identify the nature and extent of subgrade; conditions and to confirm impacts from previous mining activities along with suitable mitigation treatments;

· Undertake an environmental assessment to confirm impacts and mitigation treatments to waterways, wildlife and vegetation;

· Continue stakeholder consultation with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) Translink and Metropolitan Region in relation to project impacts on State interests;

· Continue stakeholder consultation with internal Council stakeholders in relation to the creek corridor and nearby open space facilities;

· Commence stakeholder consultation with affected landowners;

· Further develop the engineering design including detailed pavement design, bridge design, retaining wall design and drainage design;

· Review the interface between the Stage 4A concept design and the existing detailed design for the Six Mile Creek Bridge;

· Refine horizontal and vertical geometry including sight distance checks throughout the road corridor; and

· Address the safety in design risks identified in this Study, undertake a risk review process to identify any additional risks, and document in a safety in design register.

Legal/Policy Basis

This report and its recommendations are consistent with the policy outlined in the endorsed City of Ipswich Transport Plan 2016, the Queensland Government South East Queensland Principal Cycle Network Plan 2016, Ipswich Planning Scheme 2006 and Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) 2016

LGIP outlines Council’s planned trunk infrastructure networks required to support the forecast population and employment growth for the city. Redbank Plains Road between the Cunningham Highway and Collingwood Drive is currently operating beyond the LGIP desired standards of service (DSS).

There is a risk that Council will not achieve the intents outlined in the above documents should the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A project not proceed in a timely manner.

COMMUNITY and OTHER CONSULTATION

This project was undertaken with technical input provided by officers from the Infrastructure and Environment Department (IED) and Planning and Regulatory Services Department (PRS) including transport, civil engineering, open space, flooding, environment, development and land use planning elements. Early consultation was also undertaken with TMR (Metropolitan Region and Translink) in relation to the touch points with the Cunningham Highway and the future proposed high frequency bus route.

A strategic alignment for the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4 Upgrade was outlined in the draft City of Ipswich Transport Plan which underwent public consultation activities in 2015 and was endorsed by Council in 2016. The Ipswich Planning Scheme – Policy 5 – Infrastructure and the LGIP identifies the Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A project as a future road infrastructure project.

More detailed community consultation will be required as part of the next project phase when funding has been allocated and the design further refined.

Conclusion

The Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A and 4B upgrades are identified in iGO – The City of Ipswich Transport Plan 2016, the Ipswich Planning Scheme and the Local Government Infrastructure Plan 2016. Stages 1 and 2 of the planned Redbank Plains Road upgrade program have been completed and Stage 3 is programmed for construction in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 financial years.

The purpose of this project was to determine the future corridor footprint and the construction order of cost for an ‘interim’ road upgrade of Redbank Plains Road to a four lane urban standard from the Cunningham Highway to Collingwood Drive (referred to as Stage 4A) and a longer term ‘ultimate’ road upgrade to six lanes from the Cunningham Highway to Newhill Drive for corridor preservation purposes (referred to as Stage 4B).

The project has identified a preferred alignment, configuration, corridor footprint and cost estimate for the 3.2km Redbank Plains Road Stage 4A upgrade. The project has also identified the preferred configuration for the longer term Redbank Plains Road Stage 4B upgrade. The cost estimate for the Stage 4A upgrade is $60.7 million, including a 30% risk and contingency allowance ($14m). Outcomes of the Redbank Plains Road corridor plan will form the basis for future detailed design and construction activities and will be used to inform Council’s development assessment and investment programming activities.

Attachments and Confidential Background Papers

	CONFIDENTIAL
1.	Related Parties
2.	Options Assessment
3.	Stage 4A Concept Plans
4.	Stage 4B Concept Plans
5.	Property Impacts

Brad Freiberg

Senior Engineer (Transport Planning)

I concur with the recommendations contained in this report.

Mary Torres

Infrastructure Strategy and Planning Manager

I concur with the recommendations contained in this report.

Tony Dileo

Manager Infrastructure Strategy

I concur with the recommendations contained in this report.

Charlie Dill

General Manager - Infrastructure and Environment

“Together, we proudly enhance the quality of life for our community”