Brisbane Metro: Inner City Infrastructure Works

Project Details

Rating Type: V 1.2 Design and As Built
Registered Date: January 2021
Completion Date: September 2025
Location: QLD

Assessor Name: Walentina Gonzalez
IS Project manager: Nicole Lee
Stakeholders: Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd and Arup Australia Projects Pty Ltd forming Brisbane Move,Brisbane City Council (Council),Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)

Brisbane City Council is delivering new and improved infrastructure to support the introduction of Brisbane Metro. Council is working with Brisbane Move - a partnership comprising construction-lead ACCIONA and design-lead Arup to design and deliver the major infrastructure works for the project.

With more than a dozen work sites across the city, Brisbane Metro is tunnelling underground to help reduce congestion, upgrading stations and enhancing streetscapes to create greener, more connected public spaces. 

Key features:

A new tunnel beneath Adelaide Street connecting with the existing King George Square tunnel under Albert Street.
Upgraded bus stations at King George Square, UQ Lakes, Buranda and the Cultural Centre station.
Significant public space improvements on Melbourne Street and Grey Steet in South Brisbane and on Adelaide Street, North Quay and William Street in Brisbane’s CBD.
Significant new sewer infrastructure.
An enhanced and strengthened Victoria Bridge providing three lanes for Brisbane Metro and bus services and upgraded cycling and pedestrian pathways.

Ratings Highlights

Category	Credit	Achievements/ Description
Innovation	Innovation	In an Australian first, the Victoria Bridge strengthening works employed external post-tensioning using Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-reinforced Concrete Blisters. Benefits included: Maintaining the bridge’s aesthetics, Improved constructability, Reduced additional dead loads, Reduction of CO2e emissions by using Dura® concrete due to reduced material and energy input.
Energy and Carbon	Monitoring and reduction (Ene-1) and Use of renewable (Ene-2)	65% reduction in carbon for the whole of life emissions compared with the Brisbane City Council concept design (project base case), A total of 39,751 tCO2e was prevented through value engineering at the Cultural Centre station and design optimisation at Inner-City precincts including the use of green energy for tunnelling activities and through the use of hybrid and electric cars during construction, Use of renewable energy during the operation of the infrastructure including electricity at the Adelaide Street tunnel and street lighting at the Inner-City.
Materials	Materials footprint measurement and reduction (Mat-1)	77% reduction in embodied carbon for the whole of life emissions compared with the Brisbane City Council concept design (project base case), A total of 116,171 tCO2e was avoided through value engineering at Cultural Centre station and design optimisation at Inner-City precincts including the use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM).
Community health, wellbeing, and safety	Community health, wellbeing (Hea-1)	Positive contribution to three issues identified by the community: 1.Active transport: Increased dedicated bikeway and improved on-road cycle lanes with a 460-metre extension of the Citylink cycleway, 330 metres of new dedicated two-way cycle lanes on Melbourne Street, between Grey Street and Cordelia Street in South Brisbane, 450 metres of upgraded on-road cycle lanes on Grey Street, South Brisbane to provide separation to the adjacent vehicle lanes and parking bays. 2.Local skills development Seven training development programs including traineeships/ apprenticeships, certifications and diplomas, 222,965 total training hours as at February 2025. 3. Social inclusion 59,549 indigenous labour work hours, 13,268 training hours as at February 2025, Development programs, social procurement and cultural awareness activities.
Heritage	Heritage assessment and management (Her-1)	Heritage protection, interpretation, and enhancement: During excavation for the Adelaide Street tunnel entrance, a dry-stone wall dating back to 1827 and associated with the Convict Hospital was discovered. The project archaeologist salvaged portions of the wall which were incorporated into the project urban design at Adelaide Street, Brisbane. Artefacts, including crockery, glass and stoneware bottles, dating back to the 1800s, were discovered during excavation from the Early Streets of Brisbane. These artefacts were displayed in a heritage exhibition to the public at the Brisbane Metro Information Centre. Indigenous engagement including the commissioning of dedicated project Aboriginal artwork by Turrbal artist Kulkarawa Meeanjinu, hi-vis work shirts with Turrbal artwork, Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country cultural activities during the project.
Stakeholder Participation	Level of engagement (Sta-2)	The project has excelled in managing stakeholder participation, implementing a comprehensive engagement strategy that spans from informing to collaborating. This strategy has been instrumental in fostering strong relationships and ensuring active participation from all stakeholders. The development of six detailed stakeholder engagement case studies, showcasing their innovative approaches and the positive impact to the community around the project. Throughout the project the construction team met weekly for face-to-face meetings and walk-throughs with key impacted stakeholders to mitigate the impact of works. A dedicated 24-hour Brisbane Metro construction hotline provided the opportunity for stakeholders to discuss issues and get responses in real-time.

Verified Innovations

Innovation Name

Description

Ultra-High Performance Concrete Blisters

In an Australian first, the Victoria Bridge strengthening works employed external post-tensioning using Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-reinforced Concrete Blisters.

Benefits included:

Maintaining the bridge’s aesthetics
Improved constructability
Reduced additional dead loads
Reduction of CO2e emissions by using Dura® concrete due to reduced material and energy input.