The Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project

The Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project

The Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project

This article is taken from the 2018 ISCA Impacts Report.

Lendlease along with its Alliance partners - Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA), WSP, Aurecon, CPB Contractors and Metro Trains Melbourne - is delivering the Caulfield to Dandenong level crossing removal project (CTD) along one of Melbourne’s busiest rail corridors.

The project involves rebuilding five stations and removing nine level crossings to create renewed village centres at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park. Ultimately, the elevated rail design will convert the previous brown-field rail corridor into 22.5 hectares of new linear park green-fields beneath the structure leaving a positive legacy for the community.

This innovative world class design infrastructure project required a state-of the-art precast concrete yard to be established to produce the more than 2,200 pre-cast concrete segments to build parts of the new elevated rail line.  This purpose-built precast concrete yard was essential in meeting the precise architecturally finished viaduct design and also the high production rates for the concrete segments. Each precast segment weighed 26 tonne and at peak production, the precast yard facility produced up to 17 segments per day.

[caption id="attachment_4235" align="alignnone" width="1200"] CTD. Photo: Pete Glenane/HiVis Pictures[/caption]

CTD recognised business as usual pre-cast concrete facilities typically had low energy efficiency, high-emissions output and little whole-of-life considerations, creating negative impacts on our environment. The challenge for CTD was to identify and embed sustainability applications and solutions into the precasting processes to ensure manufacture processes could match the elevated structural design which minimises urban, visual and environmental impact.

CTD demonstrated the incorporation of multiple whole of life sustainability initiatives into key phases of the precast yard including design, construction and materials processes of the facility and in the precast materials. This also extended to the materials makeup of the concrete, aggregates and steel within each precast element.

[caption id="attachment_4236" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Pete Glenane/HiVis Pictures[/caption]

The initiatives allow CTD to realise real and material reduction to the impact on the environment, including reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, diverting waste from landfill by using recycled content in the construction and manufacturing processes.

Key sustainability initiatives include:

• Over 17,000 tonnes of recycled concrete was used in the construction of the precast facility foundation negating the need for excessive fill importation.
• Reducing the embodied energy of the precast segment by specifying a concrete mix that included a 21% cement replacement product through the use of fly-ash.
• Utilising the facility’s 13,000 m2 roof catchment area to capture rainwater within 3 x 20,000 litre tanks which has enabled the reuse of approximately 10,000,000 litres for water at the facility.
• With 24/7 precasting activities, LED lighting was installed throughout the facility to reduce the lighting energy demand by over 60%. In addition, daylight sensors were installed to ensure lights weren’t unnecessarily used when there was sufficient daylight outside. Skylights were also installed throughout the building to reduce lighting requirements on sunny days.
• The generators that ran the 50 tonne gantry hoists used 20% biodiesel – a renewable energy source. The generator technology adopted allowed for the optimisation of power output by reducing engine capacity when less load was required. Over the life of precasting activities, this allowed the saving of approximately 33,000L of diesel and contributed to the reduction of 90 t-CO2-e.
• Producing the precast segments locally reduced transport costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
• Through this facility, approximately 170 workers from a variety of trades including steel fixers, welders, concreters, crane operators and precast concrete labourers have had role-specific training.  Other programs beyond role specific training were also implemented in areas of health and safety, first aid, leadership, manual handling, working at heights and operation of gantry cranes.

Lendlease along with its Alliance partners are committed to delivering high quality assets safely and with a genuine commitment to advancing sustainability within the industry.