Developing route options with the communityMount Victoria to Lithgow Great Western Highway Upgrade

16 May 2009

Early session from 8.30am to noonLate session from 1pm to 4.30pm

Agenda

1.15pm Welcome and introductions Lucy Cole-Edelstein, facilitator

1.20pm What we are going to do Chris Barnett, project manager1.40pm Constraints Andrew Spinks, Gary Rigozzi

and Simon Yau (technical specialists)2pm Principles of road design Col Hatswell, road designer2.30pm Afternoon tea2.45pm Hands on session Everyone4.15pm Summary and questions4.30pm Close and thankyou

LCE

Welcome

Housekeeping and ground rules:• Entrance and exits.• Mobile phones.• One person at a time please.• Make sure your thinking is understood and recorded by the project team.• Respect everyone’s point of view.• You are prepared to attend each workshop.• You have registered.

LCE

Introducing the team here today

Chris Barnett Project Manager, Lithgow (RTA)Diana Loges Development Manager, Parramatta (RTA)Geoff Cahill Development Manager, Parramatta (RTA)Col Hatswell Design team leader, Lithgow (RTA)Ian Burnett Road designer, Lithgow (RTA)Steve Lees Road designer, Parramatta (RTA)Jason Hobart Road designer, Parramatta (RTA)Simon Yau Geotechnical engineer (RTA)Gary Rigozzi Geotechnical scientist (RTA)Barry Gunther Aboriginal Heritage (RTA)Andrew Spinks Senior Environmental Planner (SKM)Yvette Sheedy Environmental Planner (SKM)Martin Sullivan Ecology specialist (SKM)Mary Casey Non Aboriginal heritage specialist (Casey & Lowe)Gabrielle Higgins Communications, (Straight Talk)Michael Wright Urban Design (SSM)April Guise Communications Manager, Parkes (RTA)Ed Scully Communications Manager, Sydney (RTA)Stone Yue Graduate Engineer (RTA)

LCE

Purpose of the workshops

Objectives of the workshops are to:• Involve the community more in route options development.• Build up community understanding of how route options are designed.• Provide the community with ‘hands on’ design experience.

CB

Before we go any further…

• This type of design workshop is relatively new for the RTA.• We acknowledge this isn’t easy for participants.• We are committed to constructively involving you in the investigations.• Please be aware this can be a very challenging and emotional process

for some participants.• We are looking for ideas and information – not consensus.

CB

Overview of each workshop

At today’s workshop we will:• Introduce the basics of road design.• Identify the main issues and constraints.• Commence designing within the four confirmed corridors.• Discuss constraints and ‘trade offs’.• Identify any additional information that may be required for workshops

2 and 3.

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Overview of workshops (cont.)…

At workshop 2 we will:• Continue designing route options in each confirmed corridor.• Suggest and draw alternative route options.• Discuss tunnelling options.• Further explore constraints, issues and ‘trade offs’.• Continue to build up your understanding of road design, issues and

constraints.• Have time for ‘freestyle’ session.• Identify information required for workshop 3.

CB

Overview of workshops (cont.)….

At workshop 3 we will:• Examine additional information and further consider constraints for

each corridor.• Refine route options with the additional information. • Present route options for group discussion.• Finalise suggestions for the team to investigate.• Have another ‘freestyle’ design session.• Provide the RTA with feedback about the workshops.

CB

Overview of workshops (cont.)…

At workshop 4 (after the RTA displays route options for community comment) we will:

• Present and discuss the route options on display.• Seek your comment on which option(s) work best and why.• Seek feedback on what issues remain with each option on display.• Inform you on what happens after the display concludes.

CB

What we won’t be doing at the workshops

• We won’t be voting on options.• We won’t be designing detailed features such as intersections, fauna

crossings and noise barriers.• These features get designed at later stages – concept design or detail

design stages. However we can discuss these aspects.

CB

We are refining our investigations

Project objectives

• Improve road safety.• Improve road freight efficiency.• Cater for the mix of through, local and tourist traffic.• Be sensitive to the area’s natural environment, heritage and local

communities.

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Any questions at this stage?

Constraints maps

• Three constraints maps were included in your workshop kits.• What is a constraint and how do we use them?• Are there any hierarchies of constraints?• How do we use constraints at this stage of the project?

AS

Social constraints map

Social constraints map includes:• Towns and localities.• Houses.• Property boundaries.• Heritage items.• Heritage areas.• Heritage passes/ roads.• National Parks and reserves.

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Natural environment constraints map

• Wildlife corridors.• Endangered ecological communities (protected under legislation).• Vegetation community conservation values.• How to compare these constraints.• How do we use this information?

AS

Functional constraints map

• Potentially contaminated sites and areas.• Flood risks, issues and high velocity flows.• How do we use these?

AS

Questions on environmental constraints?

AS

Geotechnical considerations

• What is talus?• What are scarps?• Where are the pre 1948 mining areas?• What is important about these to our design process?

GR

Geological units - talus

Talus and scarps

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Areas mined prior to 1948

Any questions about geology?

30

Engineering kickoff

• What do we mean by cut and fill? • What is a retaining structure?

SY

Cut Slope and Fill Slope

Retaining structures

Any questions at this stage?

Principles of road design

We need to consider:• Project objectives

• Improve safety• Increase freight efficiency• Cater for the mix of local, through and tourist traffic• Protect the environment

• Design objectives• Where the fixed points are e.g. specific start and finish points• Where we would rather not go.• The relation and importance of the constraints compared to each other.• Topography• River and creek crossings – general drainage of the road pavement and large

flooding events. CH

Principles of road design

•The different design speeds for each corridor.•Where the railway line can be crossed.•Intersection points and access.•Property boundaries and ownership.•The height at which a river or creek can be crossed.•Cliff faces and talus slopes.•The location of gullies.

Inputs to road design

Standard of road design

• What standard of road do we want?• Main items in the design criteria that will affect us today.

• Posted speed (speed limit) and design speed

• 80 km/h east of Mt Victoria• 100 km/h through the valley• 90 km/h around the 40 Bends area

Roads are a series of straights and curves

• Straights can be as long as suit the terrain.

• Desirable minimum radius for a speed limit of 80 km/h is 340 metres

• Desirable minimum radius for a speed limit of 90 km/h is 400 metres

• Desirable minimum radius for a speed limit of 100 km/h is 700 metres

What could the upgrade look like?

Highway at Linden Bends

Highway through Lithgow

Highway at the Coxs River deviation

Grades

• Grades

• Eastern section – desirable of 6%maximum of 8%

• Western section – desirable of 4.5%maximum of 6%

Victoria Pass – nearly 14% just uphill of the ViaductExamples of some of grade around the area

River Lett – 8% adjacent to the Jenolan Caves turnoff steepening to 11% by the first left hand curve

Other significant grades for your reference

• Lapstone Hill – gets up to 10%

• Bodington Hill - 8%

• Coxs River deviation – 6%

Physical issues to consider

• What are the physical issues that we need to consider?• Topography, natural features and other infrastructure

• Plateau, cliffs, talus slopes, undulating, moderately steep.• River Lett and many creeks.• Railway, Transgrid’s power lines, Optical fibre cabling.

How do we commence a design process?

• How do we commence a design process?We consider the following:

• Objectives of the project.• Speed concept.• Function of the road.• Design standards.• Vehicle operating speeds.• Identify the different sections of the road in the different topographical

areas.

• Horizontally, you could consider a road as a series of straight sections joined by curves that can be driven around safely at the posted speed limit.

• The straights can vary in length and the curves can also vary in radii, but a minimum curve must be used to allow for the design speed.

• Generally, the straighter you can make the road, the safer the road.

• What are we going to design today and• How are we going to do it?

• Today we are going to develop route options at 40 Bends and thenconsider all 4 corridors.

• Each table will be given a one full confirmed corridor to work on and in the second workshop each group will then go onto designing route(s) in the other 3 corridors.

• We are going to start with the 40 Bends area to get you used to the maps and design tools we have provided.

• Each table has large paper plots of the study area showing the confirmed corridors.

• There are also smaller paper prints showing the constraints mapping.• There are also stencils and rulers that can be used to draw straights

and curves.• Transparent overlay sheets are also available.

• If you feel that something else would be of use, just ask one of the RTA project team at your table and they’ll endeavour to help.

• Don’t be hesitant about marking the transparent overlays or the maps.

• Make sure you talk to each other in your group to make your views known to all the group.

• Definitely ask the RTA project members if need help.

• At the end of today you will have developed route options with a width of 200 metres.

• To achieve the 200 metre width, you can base the route option on a 60 metre width.

• At the scale of the maps on your tables, 60 metres is about the width of the thickness of the coloured (chinagraph) pencil lead.

Road design team

• The RTA design team comprises people working from the RTA’s Lithgow office and also our Parramatta office

• The designers and the other members of the project team are here to help in any way they can.

• BUT we will not be doing the design for you.

An introduction to some design tools

Questions on design principles?

Morning tea

Hands on session

Session 1.40 Bends – common to all routes

Session 2.The first of four confirmed corridors.

CH

Hands on design sessions

• Each table will be considering a route option within one of the confirmed corridors.

• Next week you will be looking at the other three corridors.• Each session will last approximately 35 minutes.• The way to start is to draw a line for your route.• You will then put it somewhere within a 200m corridor (it does not

need to be in the middle. It can be on the edge).• You need to develop at least one route wholly within the confirmed

corridor.

Hands on design sessions

• The key constraints need to be considered before you can decide where a route may go.

• Technical experts are available and a road designer is on each table.• Your scribe will record the reasons why you made your decisions and

any additional information that you need for workshop 2.• Regular time checks will be made to help you manage your progress.• Everyone will have considered each confirmed corridor by the end of

workshop 2.CH

Feedback to hands on session

• Questions• Summary

Dates for future workshops

Today is the first of four workshop sessions.• Workshop 2 - Saturday 23 May.• Workshop 3 – Saturday 13 June (to be agreed with participants).• Route options are scheduled to be displayed for community comment

in second half 2009.• Workshop 4 – Later in 2009.

LCE

Close and thank you

•See you next Saturday.

Contact the RTA:• Email: western_projects@rta.nsw.gov.au• Telephone: 1800 035 733 (toll free)• Facsimile: 02 6861 1414• Address: PO Box 334, Parkes NSW 2780

Please join us for refreshments and informal discussions.LCE