Geosynthetics used in the Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) project

Project: Townsville Ring Rd Stage 5
Contact: Ashley Brooke
Contractor: Georgiou Group QLD
Address: Hervey Range Rd, Bohle QLD

The Project

The Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 project will deliver improved road safety, efficiency and travel time reliability for freight and passenger vehicles on the Bruce Highway in Townsville. 

The project will duplicate the only remaining 2-lane section of the Townsville Ring Road between Vickers Bridge and Shaw Road. The 6km project will also include construction of an interchange at Beck Drive, with new on and off-ramps to provide access for all directions of travel.

The Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 project is the final stage in the Bruce Highway TRR construction, and will offer a number of benefits to the region.

• Improve Safety
• Increase capacity
• Improve network efficiency
• Increase traffic flow
• Reduce peak-hour congestion
• Reduce interchange queuing
• Contribute to the economy
• Contribute to regional growth
• Facilitate safer active transport (cycleways)

See below video for more information on the project.

The Challenges

Across the TRR Stage 5 project there have been several challenges with erosion control and unforeseen poor subgrade conditions.

The project also crosses 3 significant water courses, the Ross River, the Bohle River, and the Little Bohle River with new duplications over the latter two. This adds complexities with embankment stabilisation, soft soil treatments and managing water pollution.

The geographical location of the project also poses several challenges from a coordination perspective, which in turn places increased importance on a reliable supply network for Georgiou Group to keep ahead of the construction schedule and complete the project on time.

Sediment Basins are an important part of caring for the environment during construction phase, by capturing the course sediment, little and other pollution that is carried by stormwater. As we come into the wet season in North QLD, it is increasingly important they are constructed correctly and work efficiently. 

As road construction has progressed, several areas of poor subgrade have been exposed resulting in the pavement areas failing the proof rolling. This has resulted in the need to apply different construction methodology involving the use of geosynthetics.

Our Solution

Georgiou Group QLD have chosen the Polyfabrics as their supply partner for the geosynthetics used on the TRR5 project. This was due both to the strong working relationship between Georgiou and Polyfabrics on a number of projects, and the large stock holdings and responsive deliveries to the North QLD region.

For the sediment basins and environmental controls, Georgiou Group are using the mastaTEX® NonWoven PF24, which is a TMR Class B geotextile. This is a highly effective filter fabric allowing high water flow velocity, and a relatively small EOS (equivalent opening size) meaning all granular and solid pollutants are effectively filtered out. The sediment basins also use a filter media (sand) and a clay liner to prevent liquid pollutants from entering the environment.

The soft subgrade challenges are being addressed through incorporating a geocomposite product, the mastaGRID 4040GT, into the pavement design. The mastaGRID® 4040GT is a TMR Type 2 polypropylene grid with a robust geotextile filter cloth bonded to the underside. This type 2 grid is installed at the base level of the pavement, forming a matrix with which the pavement material can interlock. Also used in these pavements is the mastaTEX® NonWoven PF44 (TMR Class D) geotextile, which is a very tough separation geotextile for use with rock fill up to 200mm dia. on saturated subgrade, or up to 400mm dia. where CBR (Californian Bearing Ratio) is greater than 3.

Product

1. mastaGRID® GT 40/40 GGCB4040 (27,300m2 as at 25/10/22)
2. mastaTEX® Non Woven Class D PF44 (25,200m2 as at 25/10/22)
3. mastaTEX® Non Woven Class E PF54 (9,000m2 as at 25/10/22)
4. TerraDrain 18 Drainage Sheeting SDS-TD18 (1,220m2 as at 25/10/22)

Contact Us

For more details on this project, contact us at sales@polyfabrics.com.au or call 1300 287 484

Resources

https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/townsville-ring-road-stage-5