A project highlighting Laing O’Rourke’s collaborative spirit and experience that delivered a first-of-its-kind elevated roadway while driving sustainable outcomes for the future.

Laing O’Rourke partnered with BG&E, forming the Armadale Access Alliance, to design and construct a new bridge over the Kwinana Freeway in Cockburn Central, Perth. In allowing drivers to bypass a major shopping centre and railway station, it significantly reduces congestion both on the freeway and on local roads.

However, this wouldn’t be just any bridge. A first-of-its-kind for WA, the Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge passes over one roundabout, then under another, to see traffic safely and quickly past the bottleneck of old.

The challenges

This project was about much more than building a bridge.

In collaboration with BG&E and Main Roads, highly experienced construction experts at Laing O’Rourke were also responsible for the extension of a four-lane dual carriageway, grade separated crossings, collector-distributor roads, traffic-signalised intersections and local connections, retaining walls and gantries, shared and cycle paths, noise walls, drainage, lighting and smart inclusions to enable Intelligent Transport Systems.

Collaboration extended to ensuring the design complemented other works, including significant road improvements in the area and METRONETs Thornlie to Cockburn Line project. This was achieved through the use of virtual, data-driven modelling.

The project team engaged extensively with the local community, businesses and road users to ensure they were kept abreast of impactful construction works and roadworks throughout the process.

The outcome

The immediate benefit comes in the form of eased congestion and improved access to Cockburn Gateway Shopping Centre and Cockburn Central Station.

There are now direct routes onto Kwinana Freeway, with on/off ramps connecting to the bridge and collector-distributor roads on both sides of the Kwinana Freeway.

Five new Civil Construction Trainees worked with employer Armadale Access Alliance, completing a 24-month Certificate III Civil Construction qualification on the project.

Two local Aboriginal artists developed detailed designs for public artworks on this project. Noongar artist Seantelle Walsh designed the Armadale Road underpass to reflect the night sky, with the dots and travelling lines representing the Milky Way as well as our past, present, and future.

Rohin Kickett of Dushong Art used his experience as a former concreter to create earthy-coloured aggregate and textures to design both Armadale Road roundabouts.

The project in numbers

• 2 years project duration;
• 5 Civil construction trainees mentored;
• 55,000 vehicles/day prior to the project, making it the 5th busiest intersection in WA;
• 170,000 by 2031 – Cockburn’s population growth forecast, from 106,000 in 2015;
• The project has created 1,658 direct and indirect jobs during the construction period;
• Almost one-third of the permanent road subbase comes from recycled materials;
• 14,000 tonnes of fill material was imported from nearby projects, resulting in a 10 percent increase of reused fill;
• More than five percent of all asphalt laid incorporated reclaimed asphalt materials.