Gold Coast Light Rail – Stage 3: Successfully Delivering Multiple Service Crossings in Challenging Subsurface and Surface Environments

Abstract

The Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 (GCLR3) project involves the construction of a new light rail which runs from Broadbeach in the north, along the Gold Coast Highway, to Burleigh Heads in the South. The 6.7km extension includes new dual-track light rail, 8 new light rail stations, new light rail-bus connections, and new and upgraded intersections and crossings. The alignment is through the high-density urban area of the Gold Coast, and is surrounded by commercial and residential properties, with the Gold Coast Highway providing a major north-south thoroughfare along the coast. The extensive stakeholder constraints for the project were a key driver for the selection of construction methods. Trenchless technologies have been adopted for a number of service relocations and new service installations across the project to minimise the impacts (and reduce risks) associated with the various external stakeholders, including road users, businesses, residents, and asset owners. Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) was determined to offer the least impact solution for much of the service crossings given the relatively small construction footprint. However, the high-density urban nature of the project presented many challenges still for HDD construction. Each crossing of the Gold Coast Highway required entry and exit pits, laydown areas, pipe stringing areas for up to 70m for 9 x DN140 conduits. Given the confined working areas within the Gold Coast Highway this required multiple land access agreements into private properties as well as presenting considerable constructability challenges. 1 No-Dig Down Under 2025 Gold Coast Light Rail – Stage 3: Successfully Delivering Multiple Service Crossings in Challenging Subsurface and Surface Environments Edney, Keating, Browne