Project Snapshot
A major civil contractor has been awarded the construction contract to deliver the Bruce Highway – Saltwater Creek Bridge Upgrade near Maryborough in Queensland.
The scope of works for this $103 million DTMR project includes the upgrade of 12 kilometres of the Bruce Highway including the construction of two new bridges at Saltwater Creek and Deadmans Gully crossing. Additionally, four existing flood ways between Maryborough and Torbanlea will be upgraded.
Construction has begun and is set for completion by the end of 2023.
The Challenges
During this project, it was discovered that the existing in-situ material needed to be bridged prior to the placement of embankments, as the existing material did not meet the minimum allowable bearing pressure.
To attain the required bearing pressure as per MRTS04 Annexure Clause 3 (85 or 50kPa undrained shear strength), the Project Administrator specified the use of mastaGRID geogrid at the toe of the embankments along the route.
Our Solution
30/30 mastaGRID has been used to bring the existing surface up to standard, along with mastaTEX non-woven geotextiles in Class D & E.
The non-woven fabrics have been used for rock mattresses below the embankments and for a culvert base slab. mastaTEX Non-Woven geosynthetic fabric is particularly suited for placement in a foundation followed by rock and then wrapped again over the top, creating a ‘mattress’ below a structure or embankment.
The higher class of fabric provides an ideal solution as it does not rip or tear like the lower grades are prone to do. Additionally, when fill material is placed over the top, the fabric stops the fines from sinking through the rock which could lead to future settlement issues.
Get advice on the right geosynthetics for embankment works
At Polyfabrics, our geosynthetic engineering team can offer advice on a wide range of solutions for embankment and pavement construction, as well as long term solutions for stabilisation and separation. Get in touch with our specialist team to find out more.
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