What is the purpose of the night works?
As part of the construction process for these developments, Mirvac is upgrading the local trunk stormwater and water infrastructure along Skyring Terrace. Part of Quay & Isle’s development approval, council require Mirvac to undertake these works. Mirvac is upsizing the existing council infrastructure to accommodate the evolving landscape of Newstead. These upgrades are necessary to improve the way water is captured and discharged from the immediate area.
Why do they have to occur at night and not during the day?
As the infrastructure that requires upgrading is buried below Skyring Terrace this requires a portion of Skyring Terrace to be excavated to allow access to the existing pipelines. Brisbane City Council will not allow the closure of Skyring Terrace during the day due to its demand from commuters, bus routes and pedestrians. Mirvac has no objection in undertaking these upgrades during the day should council permit the road closure.
Why do they have to occur all night, and can they finish earlier?
Our site teams have applied for permits that allow road closure and works to occur from 6pm to 6am, Sunday night to Thursday night. These permits are specific in that they only allow works necessary to be undertaken at night. This means that no traditional construction is allowed to occur during these permitted hours and must only be specific to the upgrade of the stormwater infrastructure. To ensure we meet workplace health and safety standards and work efficiently to minimize the overall duration of the upgrade works, the on-site teams require enough time to conduct the following activities:
- Conduct a pre-start meeting prior to starting
- Setup & safely close the road
- Saw cut and excavate road
- Undertake sectional upgrades of stormwater lines
- Form and pour concrete supports
- Finalise nightly sectional upgrade works
- Backfill pit
- Resurface Road
- Install temporary road pits
- Pack down
- Safely reopen the road
Do you have approval for these works?
Yes, Mirvac has been working with the relevant authorities on the design and location of these works and is installing the infrastructure with all necessary approvals in place.
This includes an out of hours construction permit and Traffic Management Plan, both approved by Brisbane City Council.
What measures are in place to reduce disruptions such as noise and lights?
Mirvac is working with authority approved contractors, who frequently perform night works such as these, and are aware of the surrounding residential community.
We understand the nature of construction is generally noisy and disruptive and will be working to minimise these impacts as much as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience caused during construction of this vital infrastructure.
How is traffic being managed during these works?
Mirvac has a Traffic Management Plan (TMP), approved by Brisbane City Council, in place for these works. There will be multiple traffic controllers on site each evening to ensure road and pedestrian safety throughout construction.
There has been a lot of night works in the area recently, will this be ongoing?
Night works are anticipated to be required from time to time, although, this will not be a frequent occurrence. We understand night works have an impact on surrounding residents and work with our contractors to minimise these disruptions as much as possible. Unfortunately, particular works are required to be carried out in the evenings when there are fewer people in the precinct, for the safety of the community and our workers.
How is dust being managed on site?
Under our Brisbane City Council approved Construction Management Plan, a number of measures are in place to limit dirt/dust from site, including:
- Exposed areas are sprayed with water on a regular basis, including stripped lots, stockpiles and unpaved internal roadways.
- Exhaust emission effects are minimised by ensuring site vehicles and machinery are fitted with appropriate emission control equipment that is maintained and serviced to manufacturer’s specifications.
- All bare earth areas are stabilised and wetted where necessary.
What are you doing to manage traffic impacts from the new developments?
TTM Traffic Engineering Report notes that the development will not have a significant impact on the future road network in the 2021 development scenarios.
What are you doing to manage traffic impacts during construction?
Mirvac will implement a traffic management plan for the duration of construction. This Traffic Management Plan needs to be approved by Brisbane City Council and needs to address the following:
- Location and extent of the proposed works - Truck / Delivery routes and access
- Traffic flows and movements
- Road safety issues
- Speed zones
- Pedestrian access and crossings
- Necessary special traffic control devices
Will construction of two projects simultaneously negatively impact surrounding residents (ie, traffic, noise, dust, tradies)?
Newstead has been the centre of significant urban regeneration over the past decade and LIV Anura and Quay Waterfront Newstead are the latest chapters in that story.
As Mirvac is the developer of both projects, it can deliver cohesive Traffic Management, Construction Management and Noise Management plans, which are sensitive to the impacts these developments may have on neighbouring residents.
Considerations Mirvac has implemented include:
- Mirvac owns an additional site in the precinct, which will be used for Mirvac site offices and staff carparking, helping to alleviate parking impacts in surrounding streets.
- General hours of operation will be 6:30am to 6:30pm Monday to Saturday. From time to time the team may work on Sundays. For example, construction of the tower crane may require operation on the weekend. Mirvac will inform the community in these instances.
- Limiting general construction noise to approved working hours. Where exceptions to this are required, Mirvac will communicate with stakeholders and update its community website prior to commencement of works.
- Noise assessment and monitoring and careful selection and procurement of plant and equipment to ensure it does not adversely impact noise levels.
- To ensure air quality in and around the construction site, Mirvac will implement dust suppression techniques/equipment that considers weather and wind conditions and exposure/proximity to the public and surrounding buildings.
- Perimeter fencing will be solid or lined with shade cloth to minimise the impact of dust.
- Equipment powered by internal combustion engines will be properly maintained and regularly serviced to prevent the discharge of excessive pollutants and will meet acceptable noise levels.
- Mirvac has a dedicated community information website - community.waterfront.mirvac.com – along with an email address and hotline for those wanting to stay up-to-date on construction.