Project Details
- Client: John Holland
- Location: Northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia
- Date: September 2016
- Type: Infrastructure
- Estimated Lifespan: 120 years
- LCA authored by Tom Beckerling and certified by Henrique Mendonca & Richard Haynes from Cerclos
NorthLink WA will take the pressure off the Great Northern Highway by shifting the majority (around 80%) of heavy vehicles over to the new route. It has been designed to cater for the traffic volumes associated with a future Perth population of 3.5 million. The Federal and State Governments have invested $1.12 billion in NorthLink WA, which will improve freight capacity, efficiency and productivity as well as reduce urban congestion now and into the future. It will improve road safety in line with the State’s ‘Towards Zero’ policy whilst maximising sustainability through economic, social and environmental responsibility.
Project Features
- A Life Cycle Design process has been completed for the NorthLink Southern Section Infrastructure project.
- The Life Cycle Assessment of the Project has shown an overall reduction in the IS Enviro Points of 17% from the Base case to the 100% design. This is due to the implementation of several environmental initiatives through the detailed design phase.
Functionality
Increased design life of the main pavement type in project has reduced the environmental impacts associated with the maintenance and refurbishment. The 100% design pavement is modelled such that the top 30mm is replaced every 14 years and every 28 years both the top 30mm and the next 40mm is replaced.
Reduced concrete consumption – reduced depth of piles. Reduced steel consumption – Collier Road Bridge design
The initial design of the concrete piles had the depth at 20m. Favourable geotechnical results have allowed a reduction to a length of 14m.
Reduced steel consumption – Collier Road Bridge design
The proposed design for the Collier Road bridge has improved on the base design, reducing the quantity of steel required by 522 tonnes. The design uses post-tensioned concrete beams with insitu concrete deck.
Results Summary
Multiples credits used Life Cycle Assessment approach to provide technical evidence including:
- Man6 – Knowledge Sharing
- Man7 – Decision Making
- Ene1 – Energy and Carbon Monitoring and Reduction
- Ene2 – Use of renewable energy
- Mat1 – Materials Lifecycle Impacts Monitoring and Reduction
- Wat1 – Water Use Monitoring and Reduction
- Wat2 – Replace potable water
- Innovation
IS Enviro Points are weighted and normalised results for multiple impact indicators including Global Warming Potential, Abiotic Resource Depletion, Eutrophication Potential, Acidification Potential, Ozone Depletion and POCP.
The lower the total Enviro Points results in lower overall project environmental impacts.
| Description | % Reduction |
| Total Enviro Points | 17% |
| Materials | 22% |
| Water Consumption | 26% |
| Operational Energy | 10% |
| Construction Energy | 13% |
