This stormwater upgrade and Pakenham and Madden Street presented a number of environmental issues that needed to be managed. There was a large tidal influence on the groundwater, and an extremely shallow ground water table. The ground was largely contaminated, as well as being unstable and of poor quality. The ground conditions were managed well, though extensive dewatering to stabilise the ground.
The work itself was complex and required several deep excavations. Careful planning was undertaken to avoid damage to existing inground utilities, including water, communications and power. Safe working in confided spaces was a paramount concern, particularly in the deep excavations and unstable ground conditions. There were no safety incidents on the project.
Project timelines were critical to the success of this project for the client, with many building projects in the area heavily reliant on the new stormwater and streetscaping works. The project team delivered these works without undue delay despite complex and often unknown ground conditions with significant access restraints. A large element of the public interface involved traffic management and ensuring that access issues and delay impacts were minimised.
