Lahrs Road and Notar Drive

Client

City of Gold Coast

Location

Ormeau, Gold Coast

Sector

Transport, Infrastructure

Partner

Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Queensland Government

Services

Civil and Infrastructure, Transport, Infrastructure, Structural, Digital Engineering

Project overview

When critical freight routes reach end-of-life, you need engineers who know how to rebuild smarter, not bigger.

City of Gold Coast engaged ADG to rehabilitate the Lahrs Road and Notar Drive corridor in Ormeau – a critical freight route reaching the end of its pavement design life whilst facing significant traffic growth. Through strategic infrastructure reuse and rigorous structural analysis, ADG proved existing 25-year-old floodways could accommodate future loading, eliminating unnecessary replacement and delivering $2.5M in savings and 45-60 days of accelerated delivery whilst preparing northern Gold Coast for future growth.

$8

MILLION

CONSTRUCTION VALUE

45 - 60

DAYS

CONSTRUCTED TIME SAVED

$1.5

MILLION

CONSTRUCTION COSTS SAVED

25

YEARS

AGE OF FLOODWAYS SUCCESSFULLY RETAINED

ADG have worked closely with our client partner City of Gold Coast Council to deliver critical upgrade works to the key freight route of Lahrs Road and Notar Drive to support the future growth of our city.

Andrew Mundt, Project Manager

City of Gold Coast

We know the route

and how to future-proof it

The existing Lahrs Road and Notar Drive corridor had been identified as reaching the end of its useful pavement design life. With expected growth in northern Gold Coast, the road corridor required upgrading to cater for future functional needs whilst maintaining this critical freight route’s operational capacity.

Traditional rehabilitation approaches would require complete reconstruction of existing infrastructure including 25-year-old floodways, resulting in significant costs and extended construction timelines. The Department of Transport and Main Roads was simultaneously undertaking major works on nearby Exit 41 interchange to alleviate congestion issues, requiring comprehensive collaboration to reduce redundancies and facilitate smooth delivery aligned with both projects.

The challenge extended beyond pavement rehabilitation. Two significant floodways built 25 years ago required assessment for forecasted traffic increases. Without rigorous structural validation, these structures would require replacement based purely on age – driving costs up and extending construction timelines significantly. Every design decision needed to balance future traffic capacity, construction efficiency, sustainability objectives, and maintaining freight route operations.

City of Gold Coast engaged ADG to develop solutions that would rehabilitate the corridor whilst identifying value engineering opportunities through their established track record delivering previous roadwork reconstruction and pavement rehabilitation projects across the region.

ADG's Solution

Following previous successful delivery for City of Gold Coast, ADG developed a competitive proposal outlining engineering opportunities through design process automation and strategic infrastructure reuse.

Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration

Comprehensive collaboration with TMR, whose Exit 41 interchange upgrade connected with ADG’s Lahrs Road works, reduced redundancies and facilitated smooth delivery aligned with both projects. This relationship further positioned ADG as the preferred consultant of choice on the Gold Coast, demonstrating how local presence and established stakeholder relationships translate into project delivery excellence.

Value Engineering

With forecasted traffic increases across Lahrs Road and Notar Drive, two significant 25-year-old floodways required assessment. Rather than accepting replacement as inevitable, ADG capitalised on value engineering opportunities through thorough analysis of existing structural design records.

The team referenced international design standards and set up experimental models to demonstrate whether these existing floodways were in suitable condition to accommodate current day traffic loading and future traffic loading. This rigorous structural analysis proved existing culverts were capable of withstanding anticipated loading requirements, eliminating the need for replacement.

This evidence-based approach eliminated unnecessary replacement, delivering $2.5M in savings and 45-60 day schedule acceleration whilst ensuring long-term structural performance.

Digital Innovation

ADG moved ahead of the curve in digital innovation, collaborating with specialist software organisation CDS to heighten digital engineering support. Automation of design processes, especially in the initial concept design phase where multiple options were considered, provided significant value-add that proved critical to Council’s selection decision.

This digital-first approach enabled rapid evaluation of design alternatives, accelerating the concept phase whilst ensuring rigorous analysis informed every decision. The methodology demonstrated how technology integration creates competitive advantage whilst delivering superior client outcomes.

Sustainability

To improve the carbon footprint of road rehabilitation, ADG proposed existing infrastructure be repurposed within the project, challenging the client to offer more sustainable solutions whilst ensuring safety requirements remained satisfied. By pushing the envelope of design standards, ADG drew from previous experience to advocate for geometric compliance solutions that utilised existing infrastructure as much as possible.

This approach reduced the amount of rebuilding of existing roads and footpaths, resulting in cost savings and accelerated project delivery whilst still providing a safe, improved experience for road users. ADG’s Gold Coast infrastructure team completed the structural assessment, keeping the work in the local community and leveraging deep regional knowledge.

Know the route. Deliver the result.

Let's chat.

When critical transport infrastructure needs upgrading without unnecessary replacement, you need engineers who challenge assumptions with evidence. Let’s talk about your next transport corridor project.

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