Case Studies

Tummaville Road, linking the Gore Highway and Millmerran Leyburn Road southeast of Toowoomba, QLD, faced a significant challenge when the previous bridge over the Condamine River North Branch became damaged and was subsequently decommissioned. In response, the Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) engaged Kehoe Myers Consulting Engineers to design a replacement bridge. This new structure was envisioned to be a reinforced concrete structure, mirroring the clearance of its predecessor while enhancing flood resilience and adhering to the latest Australian Standards. With the previous bridge no longer in service, local traffic began utilising an existing side track to navigate the dry creek bed, prompting the need for a replacement bridge. The Kehoe Myers team worked closely with the Client, the Environmental Engineering Consultant and the Geotechnical Engineering Consultant to design a bridge structure that would meet the needs of the Client and the Tummaville community. The resulting Tummaville Road Bridge, conceived by our Structural Engineers, stands as a testament to meticulous design and engineering prowess. Spanning two lanes across two spans, the concrete bridge stretches approximately 38 meters in length and 10 meters in width. Its structural integrity is fortified by pre-stressed concrete driven piles, precast concrete scour protection at abutments, in-situ concrete headstocks, abutments and wing walls, transversely stressed deck units, rectangular laminated elastomeric bearing pads, and precast concrete castellated kerbs. Given the frequent passage of oversized agricultural machinery, TRC granted a design exception, allowing for the removal of low-performance traffic barriers and their replacement with castellated kerbs exclusively on the bridge itself. Our design seamlessly incorporated these enhancements along the bridge and its approaches. The roadworks and civil design were masterfully executed by our Civil Engineers, who ensured the incorporation of safe operating speeds, curve widening, and consideration of existing infrastructure and environmental factors. Throughout the project, our team navigated each challenge with enthusiasm, leveraging collective expertise to secure the best possible outcome for our client.

Bungil Creek Bridge is situated on the Warrego Highway between Miles and Roma. The Warrego Highway transports significant numbers of cattle from and to the Roma Saleyards, which is the biggest cattle selling facility in the southern hemisphere. This stretch of the highway also accommodates significant mining traffic, further underlining its importance in the region's economic landscape. Kehoe Myers were engaged to undertake the investigation of a Business Case, which explored the benefits of an investment and upgrade to the Bungil Creek Bridge, and the impact on stimulating economic growth to the local, regional and wider community, the improvements to productivity for agricultural commodities and industry, whilst supporting a safe, reliable and efficient road network with an improved flood immunity. We complied our findings from our investigation in a comprehensive engineering report highlighting our proposed 7 bridge options, cost options analysis for each bridge and the economic study and attending a stakeholder meeting involving Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) and local Native Community (as the proposed bridge was next to a Native Title Land). All 7 options were presented at this meeting by Kehoe Myers as well as the preliminary cost estimates, utilising the market rates sq.m rates at the time. Throughout a lengthy decision process, we attended several reoccurring meetings before DTMR narrowed down the final Conceptual Options to 3 options. We completed the Concept Designs on the 3 options chosen and provided a detailed bill of quantities (using DTMR’s P50/P90 standards). We assessed the Cultural Heritage Importance, Road Safety, The Flood Levels and Mapping. Native Title, Community Engagement, The Economic Benefit and Minimising of the Environmental Impact of the proposed Bungil Creek Bridge within our Final Feasibility Report. We prepared an economic study to provide DTMR with a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) for a 20-30 year period, to be in line with the Federal Government, State and Local Government Infrastructure Policies. This report was delivered to DTMR within a timely manner and will provide them the necessary information to be awarded funding for the Bungil Creek Bridge Upgrade.