Pialligo Avenue Upgrade Works Stage 1BC

Project Location: Pialligo, ACT
Client: ACT Procurement Solutions
Client’s Representative: Steve Greenhalgh
Superintendent: SMEC
Superintendent’s Representative: Andrew Pettig
Project Start Date: August 2008

Description:

The Pialligo Avenue Upgrade Works project involved the duplication of major existing roads and bridges, upgrading and replacing intersections and relocating a number of underground services.

Scope of works:

  • New pavement constructed approximately 24,000m²
  • Pavement rehabilitation approximately 16,500m²
  • Duplication of Pialligo Av bridge over Woolshed Creek – 60m across three spans
  • Duplication of Fairbairn Av bridge over Woolshed Creek – 20m across one span
  • Signalised intersection installed with the removal of the existing roundabout at the intersection of Pialligo Av/Fairbairn Av/Beltana Rd
  • Upgrading signalised intersection of Fairbairn Av/Majura Rd
  • Upgrading signalised intersection of Fairbairn Av/Moresehead Dr
  • Duplication of Fairbairn Avenue between Morsehead Drive and Pialligo Avenue
  • Duplication of Pialligo Avenue between Morsehead Dr and Airport Works
  • Widening of Morsehead Drive to facilitate left turn into Fairbairn Ave and dedicated left turn into Morsehead Drive from Fairbairn
  • Widening of Majura Road to facilitate left turn from Fairbairn Avenue and dedicated left turn into Fairbairn Avenue from Majura Rd
  • New culverts installed at 3 locations underneath existing roads
  • Approximately 6km of kerb constructed
  • Construction of granite filled median strips separating all duplicated roads
  • Landscaping
  • Removing of overhead power lines and replacing with underground conduits 270m
  • Undergrounds services

-Storm water 1.6km

-Sewer 240m

-Electricity 1.2km

-Telecommunications cables 2.4km

-Gas pipes 560m

-Water main 250m

  • Relocation of Optus, AAPT, Defence and Commonwealth optic fibre networks

Discussion:

Pialligo Avenue Upgrade was designed to eliminate the constant traffic congestion associated with the Canberra Airport and surrounding suburbs.

Traffic management was a critical element in the project which required staged construction to maintain traffic flow during construction. Regular community and airport meetings were held to ensure that all that could be done to manage traffic flow with as little disruption as possible was done.

The staged pavement construction enabled Guideline ACT to construct the new pavements and undertake the traffic switches gaining access to the existing pavements for restoration. Duplication of the existing structures both spanning across Woolshed Creek was also required to achieve the programmed traffic switches.

The relocation of underground services as well as the installation of new services had to be carefully planned and undertaken to ensure safe exposure of the existing services and with little disruption to the traffic.