1. 100 Bridges in 1000 Days
The Track Civil & Structures (TCS) Project team within Rail Infrastructure Projects is responsible for
delivering bridge replacement projects Queensland wide. The 3 Belyando River Bridges in Central
West were the first bridges to be replaced as part of the State-wide Timber Bridge Elimination
Strategy, with construction starting in September 2013. Stage 2 of the Central West Timber Bridge
(CWTB) Replacement Project is now aiming to complete replacement of 22 ageing timber bridges in
the region by December 2015. Including additional bridge replacements in West Moreton and North
Queensland, the team will have replaced 100 bridges in 1000 days by December this year. This
outcome is achieved by a co-ordinated effort between the project delivery team and our colleagues in
Network and significantly improves infrastructure reliability for our operational partners.
A key driver in making this outcome possible has been the development of the innovative “reverse
auction” procurement process, where larger packages of work are put out to market for a fixed
budget. This meant that tenderers were asked to compete on scope rather than price: i.e. how many
bridges from a list of 50 could be built for $7.5million. Tenderers were also asked to consider
constructability efficiencies in their proposed designs, which lead to us accepting a new solution in
direct fix ballastless rail bridges. This process allowed us to reduce the cost of replacement bridging in
Central West from $33,000/metre to $16,000/metre in 2014 and now down to $12,000/metre in 2015.
At the Queensland PWI Rail Industry Excellence Awards judged in March 2015, the team entered the
CWTB Replacement Project in the X-tra Mile Award Category. Whilst not winning this award, the
submission received a “Highly Commendable” recognition, reflecting the great work being done by the
TCS team.
Continuing the Timber Bridge Elimination Strategy, the TCS team is now planning to deliver another
100 bridges over the next 1000 days, including 61 timber bridges on the North Coast Line and the
remaining 5 timber bridges on SEQ’s Ipswich Line. The next 100 bridges will be more difficult
because of their locations, but Paul Giess, Principal Project Manager, says that his team are looking
forward to the challenge of replicating this success story with cheaper bridging solutions and more
efficient delivery methods.
Jessamine Creek Bridge before and after photos.
Alpha Creek Bridge Replacement before and after photos.