Detailed Analysis: Hexham Relief Roads Construction Project Report

This report provides a detailed analysis of the Hexham Relief Roads construction project in New South Wales, Australia. The project, undertaken by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), involved the construction of five relief roads to alleviate congestion on the Hunter Valley coal rail network. The report discusses the project's budget, scope, and its declaration as State significant infrastructure. It examines the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process, including public submissions and the Preferred Infrastructure Report (PIR). Key environmental issues addressed include flora and fauna, hydrology, noise, and water quality. The report also outlines the major components of the project, such as the construction of relief roads, installation of new signal infrastructure, and earthworks. Furthermore, it highlights the relevant legislation adhered to during construction, including the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and various State Environmental Planning Policies. The project prioritized environmental considerations throughout the construction, demobilization, and rehabilitation phases to ensure sustainability and minimize negative impacts.

Running head: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA
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Majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au. 2020. [online] Available at:
<https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/
getContent?AttachRef=SSI-4992%2120190224T150246.311%20GMT> [Accessed 25
March 2020].
As per the report, Coal mining is considered as a vital part of the economy of Hunter
Valley and the majority of this coal is transported to Port of Newcastle by rail. In order to
increase the rate of coal exports and at the same time to alleviate present as well as future
congestion on coal rail network, ARTC that is Australian Rail Track Corporation undertook
much number of projects so that it could upgrade the rail networks. One of the projects under
this was Hexham Relief Roads. This project involved construction of five different relief
roads at Hexham, NSW. The length of these train tracks are 2,000 metres to 2,539 metres.
This project intended to alleviate the existing congestion on Hunter Valley coal rail network
so that options could be made available along with capacity for the purpose of re-sequencing
of the coal trains that are heading towards Port of Newcastle. In this paper, the details of the
construction and environmental of impacts of the project has been talked off.
$163 was the budget that was fixed for the project and it was supposed to offer 100
full time jobs related to construction over a time span of 18 months. As per the Part 3, clause
14 (1) of State Environmental Planning Policy (State and Regional Development) 2011, this
project was declared as to be a State significant infrastructure. As per Part 5.1, section 115W
of the EP&A Act, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure is assigned as the authority who
could give approval for these significant infrastructures. The EIS or the Environmental
Impact Statement for this project was up for exhibition for a time span of 33 days that is 8
August 2012 to 10 September 2012. Eight submissions were received by the department and
these were from the public authorities. At the same time, 35 submissions were received from
the public in general. There were no such objections from any public authority but all of them
raised concerns regarding noise, flooding, traffic, surface water and groundwater

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management and biodiversity. 31 of the submissions made by the public were against the
project as they were concerned about the project affecting visual amenity, acoustic amenity,
biodiversity, water quality, quality of air and traffic. Thereafter, on March 2013 a (PIR) that
is Preferred Infrastructure Report was submitted and this described certain amendments that
were done to the project after the exhibition of the EIS. This report provided additional
assessment regarding to the environmental impacts that were aligned to the various issues
brought forward in the submissions as well as the amendments that has been made to the
proposal.
The majority of this project is on site that has a record of being disturbed by previous
coal washing facility. The primary environmental issues that required detailed information at
the time of project initiation are as given below:
1. Flora and Fauna- This refers to the clearing out of nearby vegetation for the building of the
project. This could have an impact on the SEPP 14 Wetlands and Hunter Estuary Wetlands
comprising RAMSAR Wetlands.
2. Hydrology- The construction site being located to the Hunter River as well as the Hexham
Swamp had a high risk of flooding.
3. Noise- The noise impacts considered the temporary noise impacts during the construction
of this project.
4. Water quality- The construction of this project could result in soil erosion, instability in the
soil as well as Acid Sulphate Soils impacting upon the nearby wetlands.

3CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA
Majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au. 2020. [online] Available at:
<https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/
getContent?AttachRef=SSI-4992%2120190224T150244.002%20GMT> [Accessed 25
March 2020].
The Hexham project in between the towns of Woodberry and Sandgate that is
approximately 176 kms north of Sydney if travelled by rail. Some of the major components
of the project are as given below:
1. Five Up Relief Roads constructed to the west region of the Up main line, Down main line
and the Up Coal.
2. Installation of new signal related infrastructure for theses 5 Relief Roads.
3. Earthworks of near about 45,000 cubic metres that included formation of tracks, drainage
along with some minor structures.
4. Ancillary infrastructure including vehicle access tracks, construction compounds but
temporary along with stockpile sites.
5. Vehicular access tracks, acquisition of land along with upgradation of the existing
infrastructure of rail as well as the public utilities.
The relevant legislations that were adhered to while constructing this specific project
are as follows:
1. Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) and Environmental
Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000- These can be said to be as the primary
environmental legislation that provide guidelines for development planning as well as control
in NSW.

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2. Environmental Planning Instruments and Other NSW State Legislation- This includes State
Environmental Planning Policy (State and Regional Development) 2011, State Environmental
Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007, State Environmental Planning Policy No 14 - Coastal
Wetlands, State Environmental Planning Policy No 71 - Coastal Protection, State
Environmental Planning Policy No 55 - Remediation of Land, Newcastle Local Environment
Plan, Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 other NSW State legislations such
as Contaminated Land Management Act 1997, Heritage Act 1977, Land acquisition (Just
Terms Compensation) Act 1991, Roads Act 1993, Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000,
Water Management Act 2000, Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act 2001, Native
Vegetation Act 2003, Rural Fires Act 1997, Water Act 1912, Threatened Species
Conservation Act 1995 and many more as such. This suggests that the project adhered to
many relevant environment related acts so that it could ensure that sustainability maintained
during the proceedings of the project. The construction was planned properly and
environment issues were addressed so that the region around the site of construction does not
get destroyed or the people living by does not get disturbed. During the construction,
demobilisation as well as rehabilitation was kept a check on. This included checking on the
demobilisation of the site compounds, rehabilitation of the excavated as well as the filled
areas and removal of the erosion and sediment control devices. Thus, during construction
every factor may it be small or large was taken into consideration.

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Bibliography
Majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au. 2020. [online] Available at:
<https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?
AttachRef=SSI-4992%2120190224T150246.311%20GMT> [Accessed 25 March 2020].
Majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au. 2020. [online] Available at:
<https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?
AttachRef=SSI-4992%2120190224T150244.002%20GMT> [Accessed 25 March 2020].