Highfields Cycleway
In July 2018, Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) released the Central Highfields Master Plan that identified opportunities for strengthening movement paths to link visible destinations while maintaining the importance of the mature vegetation as a focal point, pedestrian, and cycle connectivity.
Client
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC)
Project Category
Active Transport
Timeframe
July 2022 – September 2023
Our Project Mission
Our mission was to deliver a detailed design of the Highfields Cycleway (O’Brien Road to Barracks Road) that maintained the importance of the mature vegetation as a focal point, pedestrian, and cycle connectivity and to strengthen movement paths to link visible destinations.
Our goal was to develop a design that encourages accessibility and movement through the area by creating a low-speed traffic environment with high-quality walking and cycling facilities.
Our Approach
The proposed bikeway would form part of the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) principal cycle network within Highfields. The aim was to achieve a high quality and low stress commuter cycle facility catering for all abilities and ages. The project scope included a combination of 3.0m wide shared use path and 3.0m wide on-road bi-directional cycle track on O’Brien Road.
The project had several constrains including the connection to existing facilities, narrow verge widths, on-street parking, school crossing, mature vegetation, deficient street lighting, waterway barriers, Koala habitat and an endangered ecosystem.
The civil works included flood modelling and hydraulic design, lighting design, landscaping, service relocations, raised crossings in accordance with DTMR’s Technical Guides and Design of Cycle Tracks, and ensuring that the cycle path design and alignment met both TRC and DTMR’s requirements.
The design also included the detailed design of 70m long ‘Callender Hamilton’ composite bridge which involved geotechnical testing, an options analysis of possible bridge configurations to optimise cost, the whole of life performance and minimise the footprint on the endangered ecosystem.
The Result
The design was consistent with the Safe System Approach and DTMR’s Active Transport Investment Program requirements, ensuring appropriate vehicle speeds, so that the public were not exposed to crash forces that would lead to fatal and serious injury outcomes.