Shoring Solution for Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 1

Project Type

Transport, Construction, Infrastructure

Location

Gold Coast, Australia

Services Provided

Shoring

Challenge

Stage one of the Gold Coast Light Rail is a 13km route connecting Griffith University and the Gold Coast University Hospital, north of Surfer’s Paradise with Broadbeach in the south. The light rail is providing alternative public transport in a high traffic corridor, in addition to improving transport infrastructure for the 2018 Commonwealth Games being hosted on the Gold Coast.

The first major challenge for McConnell Dowell, which was part of the GoldLinQ consortium – one of the project delivery partners, was the relocation of essential underground services to make way for the light rail track and future-proof the city’s development plans.

Relocating services to accommodate the new light rail track was a major undertaking and involved a combination of boring and open trench work through some of the Gold Coast’s oldest and most popular suburbs. McConnell Dowell also had to simultaneously manage traffic disruptions, access issues for local businesses, and time pressures to deliver the service relocation stage.

Solution

McConnell Dowell required shoring that would perform in unstable sandy ground conditions, with limitations on excavator size and lifting capacity, due to the lack of open space above ground. Mabey was selected as the preferred shoring partner to McConnell Dowell for the construction period; their Ultra Shields provided the perfect solution.

The Shields deliver high-strength properties and a safe working environment in unstable ground conditions, while being half the weight of steel trench boxes, which affords the use of smaller excavators on site.

Result

Mabey’s shoring solution for McConnell Dowell helped to ensure the Gold Coast Light Rail was delivered safely and more efficiently. A responsive and reliable provider was critical given the highly urbanised environment in which they were working. Mabey dedicated significant resource to onsite management and support throughout the construction phase.

As a result of the close partnership built with McConnell Dowell, Mabey was able to develop a site-specific edge protection system for the trench shields – another first in the Australian shoring market – contributing further to the safe and efficient delivery of the Gold Coast Light Rail.