O’Keefe Street Veloway

Project Overview

The Veloway 1 (V1) cycleway is a critical, high quality bike riding facility providing a 17km safe and efficient route for cyclists travelling between Lower River Terrace, South Brisbane and Underwood.  

A 157m long curved steel girder bridge was built along the motorway embankment and connected to the 99.8m steel truss that spanned over O’Keefe Street. The bridges, once commissioned, removed the need for cyclists to cross at the lights both east and west of the Pacific Motorway on O’Keefe Street, overall improving the user safety on the V1.

The construction of the V1 was a direct need for the community as the previous veloway route on O’Keefe Street predominantly served as an access corridor for the movement of vehicles and pedestrians throughout Woolloongabba. Due to this, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) focussed their consideration on safety concerns and interface in order to improve network connectivity and user safety. This was a priority project as the previous alignment was indirect and included intersections without traffic signals.

The V1 separated facilities which in turn reduced the need for interaction between pedestrians walking and motorists, and cyclists riding on roads. This improved the safety, comfort, amenity and travel time for everyone.

The development and construction of this project was also able to provide better connectivity to the local bike networks, hospitals, shopping centres, education facilities and public transport hubs

Project Manager: Sam West
Senior Project Engineer: Ji Man (Mark) Li
WHS Manager: James Targett
Community Relations Manager: Sophie Perissinotto
Project Engineer: Daniel Hilder
Site Engineer: Chris Lewis
General Superindendent: Greg Green

Scope of Works:

Project Requirements

The project required the construction of a pedestrian overpass structure to facilitate safer access for pedestrians across O’Keefe Street. The scope included:

  • Installation of fabricated structural steelwork bridge superstructure (steel truss and girders)
  • Cast in-situ reinforced concrete substructure
  • Cast in-situ concrete piles of 750mm – 1800mm in diameter
  • Adjoining on-grade concrete pathways
  • Associated earthworks
  • Reinforced concrete retaining wall structures
  • Drainage
  • Landscaping
  • Road and pathway lighting
  • Alteration and addition of signage
  • Installation of traffic barrier/guardrail
  • Pedestrian and cycle balustrade, and
  • Energex relocation works.

Project Objectives

The project objectives included promptly updating all affected stakeholders such as local residents and businesses in relation to project activities and ensure all road users were advised of any traffic changes and impacted works. Additionally, all responses to stakeholder enquiries were to be accurate and provided in a timely manner to create a positive relation with the local community and enhance TMR’s reputation in effectively leading a community driven project.

Key Achievements:

  • Due to the project being located close to the Brisbane Central Business District (CBD), JF Hull were required to accommodate the pedestrians who regularly crossed at the lights on O’Keefe Street. The project team successfully constructed a temporary pathway for pedestrian access. This involved all associated planning to correctly construct the temporary pathway and also managing traffic controllers to provide safe access for pedestrians and minimise any impacts to their daily routine.
  • To minimise disruptions to local residents near the construction site, JF Hull liaised with TMR and the Client Administrator to implement a plan which avoided any night shift work. This was an achievement as the Project Manager and Senior Project Engineer successfully collaborated with the team and suppliers to manage any piling or crane works, and any deliveries be conducted in non peak hours during the daylight. The associated planning to effectively achieve this meant all works would commence at 5:00am and conclude before the morning traffic peak time, with all works and deliveries scheduled to start after the morning peak hours.
  • During the early works of the project, the project team discovered an element of a multi-billion dollar infrastructure was being built within the V1 O’Keefe Street project. This meant the original detour path plan needed to be updated to factor this in. The JF Hull team successfully coordinated the works with the large infrastructure project taking place to ensure minimal impact to pedestrians. This was done by completing the project activities in two halves. All activities were strategically pre-planned with a designated detour path for pedestrian access and once the first half of activities concluded, the designated detour path was shifted to another location for pedestrian access.
  • The safety of the pedestrians and cyclists was of the utmost importance for this project. JF Hull’s Workplace, Health and Safety (WHS) Manager and Project Manager implemented various safety controls such as managing the constant traffic flow during the night and day and placing large, visible safety signs as warnings to ensure there were no incidents to pedestrians, and
  • The project was surrounded by local community infrastructure such as a hospital, school, residential and local businesses, making it difficult to navigate the heavy machinery required to complete the works. JF Hull successfully managed various stakeholders through consultation and providing information packs to local residents with notices for any upcoming noise and vibration works.
J1551
J15521
J15523
J15524
J15525
J15526
J15527
J15528
J15529
J155210
J155211
J155212
J155213
J155214
J155215
J155216
J155217
J155219

Project Outcomes and Performance

Social

Exceeding Contractual Training Targets

JF Hull place high value on the training and upskilling of personnel. The training conducted throughout this project included Traffic Management, Working at Heights, Safety Awareness, and Silica Dust Training. Additionally, JF Hull provided valuable work experience to local residents such as a university student who was employed on a part-time basis throughout the duration of the project, and an apprentice carpenter.

During this project, the team successfully met and exceeded the total training hours required within the contract. The target was to complete 2,648 hours in training, with JF Hull completing 4,078.8 hours of approved training hours in the Queensland Government Training Policy Administration System (TPAS). 

Successful Engagement of Indigenous Contractors

JF Hull also successfully engaged Indigenous contractors to perform works on this project. The total labour hours conducted on this project for Indigenous contractors was 830 hours. This was a positive contribution to the local Indigenous community as JF Hull was able to improve employment opportunities and provided development and training opportunities.

Commitment to Supporting Local Suppliers and Contractors

JF Hull made the conscious decision to predominantly utilise local resources for this project. This included hiring local contractors and engaging local businesses to assist with the construction of the V1 on O’Keefe Street. By using resources local to the Southeast Queensland region, JF Hull was able to positively impact the local economy through economic  growth and stability.

Some of the local businesses engaged include Belconnen Steel, Caporn Piling, Coastal Steelfixing, Eagle Alliance for plant hire, HL landscaping, and Holcim Australia.

Preservation and Planting of Vegetation

Due to a portion of the project being located within a park, JF Hull engaged an arborist for the preservation of trees. The preservation and planting of vegetation was a requirement of the project, and if any were needed to be removed for constructability reasons, approvals and assessments from TMR were needed prior to any clearing.   

As part of the scope of works for this project, JF Hull installed 6,243 small plants and 43 trees of varying sizes. This provided environmental benefits such as reducing the urban heat island effect by providing shade near the works, reducing noise pollution and also supporting biodiversity.

Enhanced Consultation with the Bicycle User Group

The JF Hull Project Team was in constant communication with the local Bicycle User Group in regards to any project updates or changes to the cyclists path. JF Hull communicated with the group and regularly sought feedback from their representative when alternative route impacts were likely to occur.

This consultation included where to best place signage so that it was visible to the cyclists, and also what would be placed onto the signs so the representative could then communicate the information to the Bicycle User Group members to ensure their safety.

By actively consulting with the group, JF Hull received positive feedback through social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram, with the group posting progress images of the project.

Effective Communication with Local Student Apartments

The location of the project was situated adjacent to university apartments. Because of this, it was important for JF Hull to communicate any changes to the project especially in regards to pathway detours. The project team valued in person interactions with Apartment Managers as opposed to letterbox notifications or digital communications when they could.

By taking this approach, the Apartment Managers were able to ask questions and ensure a more accurate understanding of the complex issues relating to the project. It also allowed the JF Hull team to facilitate deeper community engagement and build successful relationships.

Positive Community Response to the Project

Queensland Government received supportive feedback from the local community in relation to this project as many believed it would improve bike rider safety and connectivity in the area. The V1 has improved safety, traffic flow and network connectivity by allowing cyclists to stay on the V1, instead of crossing at the traffic lights.

Innovation through Software Application

A technological innovation which was implemented during this project was the use of Dashpivot. This is a software application designed to streamline Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality (HSEQ) outcomes and field reporting processes.

The software creates a centralised workspace for JF Hull team members, while also allowing for the automation of workflows such as permits, approvals and inspections through digital forms and signatures. The use of this software has greatly improved the way JF Hull captures, manages and tracks field data, enhancing operational standards and efficiency by reducing reliance on paper-based systems.

“This bridge has been a long time coming and a welcome addition to the V1 (south east) bikeway. It will mean people on bikes will no longer have to use the dangerous crossings of Carl and O’Keefe Street.”

Brisbane CBD Bicycle User Group (BUG)