Bridges

The Boggabri Maules Creek Rail project will connect the existing Werris Creek to Mugindi railway line to the existing Boggabri Coal Mine and the new Maules Creek Coal Mine.The railway line will provide Boggabri Coal Mine with improved logistics, efficiency and optimisation by substituting rail transport for the current road haulage of coal. The works are located approximately 15 kilometres north-east of Boggabri in north-west New South Wales and will provide the Maules Creek Coal Project with access to the rail network and ultimately the Port of Newcastle. In order to enable the proposed rail spur to connect the mine sites, the Namoi Viaduct is required to traverse the Namoi floodplain. The Namoi floodplain is subject to frequent inundation and is fed by a permanent waterway, the Namoi River. The Namoi River Flood Plain Viaduct comprises 5-metre high steel piers supporting a steel girder transom-top superstructure with 30-metre spans. A strong emphasis was placed on innovative design solutions for the viaduct that considered constructability and maintenance, reducing site-based construction activities, maximising the use of pre-fabricated elements and procurement. Based on the location and surrounding environment, specific protective coatings for the steel elements were investigated to meet the design life requirements of 35 years.