Many years of discussions between the Cairns Regional Council and ACP finally resulted in the installation of two of the largest Atlantic Super•Cor® box culverts ever installed in Australia in mid 2014, in one of the country’s most environmentally sensitive areas.
The Bloomfield Track is a 30km coastal route between Cape Tribulation and Cooktown, in tropical North Queensland, set in the heart of some of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world. The track, which is World Heritage-listed, winds along the coastline and is only suitable for four-wheel-drive vehicles. It also crosses Wobadda Creek, which is susceptible to flooding, meaning that prior to the installation of the new crossing the area was frequently cut off from Cairns and Cooktown, forcing a major detour inland.
Ron Pascoe, Northern Region Sales Manager says Atlantic Super•Cor® structures were the ideal solution, offering the least disruption to surroundings. “The relatively lightweight of each structural plate made it pretty easy to install. Construction was undertaken by local labour from Cook Shire Council, without the use of heavy equipment. Travellers now have an impressive, reliable route to Cairns and Cooktown and there was little impact to the environment – it’s been a win all round. This was a very good project to be involved with.“
The Director of Engineering Services for Cook Shire Council said, “It is good to be involved with the development of the Cape York Peninsula and working with the Aboriginal communities in this particular area to give better access to their communities for tourism.”
Designed for 100-year service life, the structures will require little maintenance and, from a practical point of view, the large spans of the arches reduce the chance of debris build up in high flow times.
With the Atlantic Super•Cor® structures installed in July 2014, final works, including the installation of headwalls and other finishing touches to blend in with the natural environment, were completed in March 2015.
