Case Study
West Gate Tunnel Project – Utilities
- ClientCPB Contractors
- StartJanuary 2019
- Value$800m+
- CompleteJune 2020
Widening the West Gate Freeway from 8 to 12 lanes, 6.8km of tunnelling, a bridge over the Maribyrnong River, and 14km of new and improved cycling and walking paths.
Doing 'it' better
All utility relocation designs completed to tight deadlines, a critical step in enabling permanent works
FSC Scope
- Managing the design process for numerous electrical, gas, water and communications utility relocations in the project’s West Zone
- Overseeing the designs for relocating 220kV and 22kV/66kV circuits
Challenges
- Congested utility easements
- Working with construction management team, designers, client and asset owners
- Developing effective utility relocation designs while fulfilling complex design management processes and industry standards
- Waterways
- Soil contamination
- Stringent stakeholder requirements
Smarts
- Helping develop a BIM model for relocating Jemena overhead 22kV and 66kV high voltage circuits near the West Gate Bridge, using 2D drawings of the existing assets
- Using the 3D model to demonstrate that the utilities could be suspended overhead at Stony Creek rather than bored, simplifying construction and saving the client $6m
- Safety in Design undertaken prior to preliminary design issue to capture all relevant safety controls and mitigate potential redesign
Achievements
- All utility relocation designs were completed to the tight deadlines – a critical step in enabling permanent works
- To meet timelines and reduce the number of re-designs, the team produced design alignments in-house instead of relying on the utility providers. This allowed relocation designs for Ausnet’s 220kV HV assets to be completed in just 3 months, after having previously been stuck in preliminary design for a year.
Performance
- Safety: 0 Lost Time Injuries
- Program: All designs were Issued for Construction at least 10 days prior to construction commencing
FSC Staff
- Adrian Khor – Design Manager
- Alex Malesevic – Utilities Design Coordinator
- James Rodgers – Utilities Design Coordinator
- Jacob Ostwald – BIM Coordinator – Utilities
