26/08/2024
Brady Marine & Civil develops an innovative solution for the Breakfast Creek / Yowoggera bridge in Brisbane
Brady Marine & Civil (Brady) recently completed the construction of an elegant pedestrian bridge in Brisbane, Australia. Site constraints necessitated an innovative delivery solution, which Brady developed in consultation with their repeat client Brisbane City Council (BCC), BCC designer SMEC and Brady joint venture partner Georgiou Group.
Awarded in early 2022 and officially opened in February 2024, the Breakfast Creek / Yowoggera Bridge and Lores Bonney Riverwalk Extension (BCGB) provide an enhanced active transport link to the Brisbane inner city and northern suburbs. It is the first bridge to be opened as part of BCC’s Bridges for Brisbane Program, which aims to get people home quicker and safer with less congestion on the roads and more travel options.
Located in the highly populated area of Newstead (located just over 3.5km north east of Brisbane’s CBD), the structure traverses the Breakfast Creek, which feeds off the Brisbane River, providing an enhanced recreational and commuter link between the Lores Bonney Riverwalk at Kingsford Smith Drive, to the beautiful Newstead Park at Newstead.
Scope of works included
- An 80m span, highly skewed, tied steel arch structure with vertical hangers and an insitu concrete deck. Total weight approx. 300 tonnes
- 175m of elevated approach structure consisting of a 7m wide insitu concrete deck on large diameter marine bored piles
- Minor earthworks, retaining walls and demolition of existing paths in the Newstead House gardens
- Reconfiguration of traffic lanes over approx. 1km of existing roads to provide separate bike lanes.
- Landscaping works consistent with a well-established, heritage garden
The challenges and solutions
A number of constraints to construction activities had to be overcome including restrictions on lane closures and night works, maintaining pedestrian access through the site, minimising impacts on the adjacent Newstead Park including heritage protected trees and vegetation, and maintaining marine access in Breakfast Creek. The last of these posed the most significant challenge, with original plans for bridge construction proposing a 3 month shut-down of the waterway to enable in situ “stick-building” of the main arch.
In response to this challenge, Brady proposed an innovative solution to complete the main span fabrication off-site, transport the arch to site by barge supported on SPMT modules, then rotate and lower the bridge into place on a suitable high tide. This solution required only a 1 week closure of the river as well as overall time savings, better quality control and enhanced safety.
Environmental actions
Brady also worked closely with client BCC to reduce the carbon footprint associated with delivery of the works. The Early Tenderer Involvement style of procurement enabled Brady to successfully lobby for driven steel tubes to replace approx. half of the reinforced concrete, steel-lined bored piles specified in preliminary designs, thus reducing scope 3 emissions for the foundations by approximately 30%. The off-site prefabrication of the main arch reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by approx. 10% through having less equipment engaged on the project for a shorter time. Great also to be delivering active transport infrastructure to encourage more walking and cycling by the public as an alternative to driving.
With an original BCC estimate of 24 months construction at a cost of $67 million, Brady and their JV partner utilised their unique mix of construction capability and marine knowledge to complete the works within 22 months and at a cost of $45 million. This was the third active transport link we have delivered for the same Client, and with more on the horizon through the Bridges for Brisbane programme we look forward to continuing this relationship in the years ahead.
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