Tasked with preparing the site of the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal for construction, Liberty Industrial was faced with unexpected challenges and an increasing project scope. The team was forced to think outside the box in the process, resulting in an award-winning, integrated approach to demolition and remediation.
Situated in Western Sydney, the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal is to be Australia’s largest intermodal terminal, and a major piece of transport and logistics infrastructure for NSW. A former Department of Defence Military School and Logistics Terminal, the site required significant demolition and remediation work before construction could proceed.
Liberty Industrial was engaged by Qube Logistics to deliver three separate demolition, remediation and site preparation work packages associated with the construction of the terminal. Each package comprised a large and diverse scope of work by itself; when combined and executed concurrently, they formed an extensive and complex undertaking.
A vast scale of work
Liberty Industrial deployed a sizeable fleet of plant and equipment: more than 20 excavators ranging from 20 to 120 tonnes; seven 40-tonne dump trucks; and a range of compactors, dozers, graders, drum rollers, water carts and service vehicles.
Liberty Industrial demolished approximately 300 individual buildings and large structural warehouses including slabs and footings exceeding 300,000m2 in total. 140,000 tonnes of concrete was pulverised for reuse on site.
Liberty Industrial developed and implemented a comprehensive environmental management program. Environmental controls included sediment fencing, tree exclusion zones, surface water runoff capture and containment, contaminated soil stockpile areas and dust suppression.
Almost 200,000 tonnes of demolition material was recycled over the course of the project including brick, concrete, asphalt, steel, mulch and other materials.
Since the site was formerly a military complex predating World War 2, the presence of unexpected finds, including potential unexploded ordnance, created a complex, significant risk.
Liberty Industrial’s specialist team removed asbestos dust from 14 separate 5000m2 warehouses and extracted hazardous chemical tanks. The project team also encountered over 200 unexpected finds of asbestos lagging and asbestos cement pipes.
Over 150,000 tonnes of contaminated soil was excavated and remediated, utilising various techniques such as sorting and segregation, bioremediation, asbestos hen-pecking, and haulage and disposal.
As works progressed, the team encountered a further 30,000 tonnes of asbestos-impacted soil. This large quantity of unexpected finds required Liberty Industrial to accelerate efforts in order to meet the pre-agreed target dates.
At the project’s peak, Liberty Industrial had up to 100 personnel onsite, with more than ten separate work fronts operating concurrently. Despite dramatic increases in the program’s scope, the team ensured early handover for commencement of construction works by breaking the site into priority areas.
Recognition for integrated approach
In November 2018, the project was awarded Best Remedial Project (>$1 million) at the Australian Land and Groundwater Association’s (ALGA) 2018 Annual Industry Excellence Awards.
It was also shortlisted as a finalist in the 2019 Civil Contractors Federation Earth Awards, in the Excellence in Civil Construction (>$75 million) category. The winners of this award will be announced on 14 June 2019.
Liberty Industrial’s General Manager, David Wood, said the project exemplified the value that an integrated solutions project delivery model is able to provide clients.
“There is tremendous synergy in our fully integrated demolition, remediation and civil works offering. Continuity of works, accelerated delivery schedule and cost savings are just some of the benefits,” he said.
“An early works contracting arrangement, particularly for large scale multi-stage projects can have significant advantages. Engaging an enabling works contractor not only allows for efficient staging of a development project, it is likely to result in substantial cost savings and improvements to programming.
“Specialist demolition and remediation expertise in the early stages of a project can add significant value and minimise risk.”
This partner content is brought to you by Liberty Industrial. For more information, visit libertyindustrial.com.au.
