2019 - Environmental Excellence Award WINNER

2019 - Environmental Excellence Award WINNER

7th Nov 19

The largest reinforced earth embankment in the Southern Hemisphere using the Maccaferri Green Terramesh Solution
Fulton Hogan Construction

The Peak Downs Highway is a vital route connecting the regional city of Mackay to mining and agricultural areas in Central Queensland’s Bowen Basin.

Winding through Spencer’s Gap on the Eton Range, the highway carries 3,600 vehicles per day, including around 800 heavy vehicles.

The Eton Range Realignment Project (ERRP) will upgrade the existing range crossing to provide a split carriage way, with two lanes in each direction. The new alignment will reduce the road grade to improve safety for heavy vehicles, increase efficiency and capacity of this key transport route and cater for future growth in the region.

The $189.3 million project is being constructed by Fulton Hogan Construction, on behalf of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR). The project is part of a $166.2 million commitment by the federal government to improve safety on the Peak Downs Highway.

Following a Guided Tender Alternative (GTA) procurement process in late 2015, Fulton Hogan Construction proposed an alternative solution for constructing a reinforced earth embankment (REE) in a challenging geotechnical environment.

The result—the Southern Hemisphere’s largest application of the Green Terramesh system for an REE.