The Ipswich Motorway Upgrade: Stage One – Rocklea to Darra is a three kilometre upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway and surrounding service roads. It is located approximately 15 kilometres west of Brisbane’s city centre.

BG&E and Cardno produced the tender design for this project, which was successful, and our client – Bielby Hull Albem JV, undertook the design and construction of the project. The detailed design was completed in approximately nine months thereafter.

Due to savings that were achieved as part of the design and construction process, a vital $40 million service road upgrade was added to the scope of works and was delivered within the overall project budget.

Some of the key features of this project included

• Raising the existing motorway by 2.5 metres and widening by a carriageway in each direction, without interrupting the 85,000 vehicles that travelled daily.
• Significantly improving flood immunity for a section of the motorway prone to frequent flooding, without creating impacts for adjacent landowners.
• Implementing geotechnical design solutions that addressed settlement issues through a floodplain with very soft ground.
• Utilising innovative deck unit and pile design solutions.

This project received an excellence rating from Australia’s Infrastructure Sustainability Council, a highly commended award from Consult Australia for Project Collaboration and 12D’s Innovation Award for the use of 12d Synergy as a CDE for the Project.