Kempsey Bypass Project, Australia

Kempsey Bypass forms the first phase of the 40km Kempsey to Eungai project, which is part of the 146km Pacific highway upgrade that links Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour. The bypass spans 14.5km and links Kempsey to Frederickton.

The project received approval from the Ministry of Planning in July 2008.

It will not only improve the road safety but also reduce travel times and road congestion.

The construction of the bypass began in July 2010 and is expected to be completed by mid-2013, a year ahead of the scheduled completion.

The cost of the entire project is estimated to be $618m. Around 450 people will be recruited for the construction of the Kempsey bypass.

Kempsey Bypass project

The Kempsey Bypass involves construction of a four lane highway which spans 14.5km and also the construction of bypass and interchanges at Kempsey and Frederickton.

A new bridge will be built over the Mackleay river and the floodplain of Frogmore. The new bridge will be the longest bridge in Australia.

The project will also see construction of road overpasses at Old Station Road, Inches Road and Crescent Head Road.

The pavement construction will require around 12km of concrete work. The project will also involve 2.6 million m³ of earthworks, 1 million m³ of blasting material, 35,000m³ of material to be crushed and screened, construction of 20km of culvert drainage lines and construction of nine bridge structures.

The nine bridge structures will include two spans, 88 pylons to support the bridge and 102 super T-girders. Approximately 6,000m³ of concrete will be used for the bridge construction.

The drainage line construction will involve the placement of around 16,000m of pipelines.

Construction of the new Kempsey Bypass

Flood prevention activities were initiated in December 2009 and included the construction of levee, raising of 18 houses on the Macleay floodplain, construction of 20 stock mounds and other flood compensatory works.

The main construction began in June 2010 with works like removal of vegetation, soil treatment, fencing and erosion control.

The construction works are being carried out at the sites of Kempsey, Frederickton, Pola Creek, Maclaey river and the floodplains.

A temporary pathway has been opened alongside the Old Station Road located in Frederickton and Inches Road located in Kempsey. These roads will be in place till the completion of the new Old Station Road and Inches Road overpass bridges, which is expected to last for 12 months.

The deck of the bridge has been poured at Crescent Head Road Bridge. The blasting works at the Crescent Head Bridge and South Kempsey will be carried forward.

Piling works at the Pola Creek and Inches Bridge will be initiated in July / August 2011.

The piling works at the South Kempsey Interchange Bridge and Inches Road Bridge will be initiated by August 2011.

The construction of Boat Harbour Creek Bridge was planned to be initiated by August 2011. Work on the twin bridges to be built over the Pola Creek will also be initiated.

The piling works will be initiated at the Frederickton Interchange. The earthworks and drainage installations at the Frederickton Interchange will be completed by August 2011. Culverts will be installed beneath the highway alignment to let the water flow below the road.

Geotechnical studies will be carried out for the Frederickton Interchange and the bridge works. Piling works at the Northern Interchange overpass bridge will be initiated by August 2011.

The construction of the Frederickton levee will be continued throughout July and August 2011. The Frederickton boat ramp will be shut for a temporary period of five months to enhance the construction of the Frederickton levee and the new boat ramp.

Bridge construction

The construction of the crane pad for the Maclaey river and floodplain bridge was initiated in June 2011. Construction of two temporary rock platforms on the river was scheduled to begin in July 2011. The first platform will run from the northern bank to the centre of the river and the second platform will begin at the southern bank of the river. The first platform will be removed during the construction of the second platform.

Around 940 T-beams, with a length and depth of 34m and 1,500mm respectively, will be used for the construction of the bridge over the Maclaey river. The necessary T-beams will be provided by Australian Precast Solutions, which is a part of the Abigroup.

The piling works at the Maclaey river will include drilling of around 70 bored piles which will support the bridge. The piling works at the floodplain section will be steel tube driven and will include more than 340 piles to support the bridge at the floodplain. Geotechnical studies will also be conducted within the Maclaey river for both Maclaey river and the floodplain.

Lead contractors involved in Australia's Kempsey project

The contract for the design and construction of the 14.5km long four-lane highway was jointly awarded to the Kempsey Alliance which includes Leighton Contractors, AECOM and Coffey Geotechnics. The project has an estimated cost of $300m.

The $185m contract for the construction and design of the Maclaey bridge was awarded to Abigroup Limited by the RTA.

Financing the project

The project which is being constructed by the Road Transport Authority of New South Wales is valued at $618m. The funding for the entire project has been provided by the Government of Australia.