Referral of Proposed Action Form

Referral of proposed action Warrego Highway Upgrade Program Project title: Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lanes 1 Summary of proposed action 1.1 Short description The overall Project is Warrego Highway Upgrade Program (WHUP, 2012) Warrego Highway Safety Package. The project objective is to improve the efficiency and safety of vehicles along the Warrego Highway between Oakey and Miles, Queensland. Part of this project is to construct eastbound and westbound overtaking lanes on a 2.3 km section of Warrego Highway, approximately 21 km north west of Chinchilla (Figure 1). To construct these overtaking lanes, an adequate safety zone (10.5m both sides of carriageway) must be established in order to provide as safe driving environment along this section of Warrego Highway where the maximum speed limit is 110 kph. The vegetation that requires removal is dominated by Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla). The south- eastern side contains endangered brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) threatened ecological community (TEC). An area 0.30 ha of this TEC needs to be removed to construct the proposed overtaking lanes. Figure 1. Location of proposed overtaking lanes between Chinchilla and Miles 1.2 Latitude and longitude Latitude Longitude location point degrees minutes seconds degrees minutes seconds NW -26 40 37 150 24 57 NE -26 40 36 150 26 23 SE -26 40 39 150 26 23 SW -26 40 40 150 24 57 WHUP – Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lane 1 Figure 2. Latitude and longitude co-ordinates (GDA94) of Project Location 1.3 Locality and property description The project site lies within the north of the Murray-Darling Basin in Queensland and is located between the towns of Chinchilla and Miles, approximately 21 km north-west of Chinchilla (Figure 1 above). The Project will be contained within the Queensland State controlled Warrego Highway road reserve 18C between Transport and Main Roads TMR chainages 101.38 km and 103.68 km. The Project will be adjacent to the southern properties 40BWR74 and 5BWR74 and Queensland State Railway Reserve 351SP116412 to the north (See Figure 1 above and Figure 3 below). Figure 3. Description of properties in vicinity of Project Site. 1.4 Size of the development 9.66 hectares (42m wide road reserve over 2.3 km) footprint or work area (Presently consists of 4.60 hectares road/drains/clear zone and 5.06 hectares (hectares) of brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) vegetation). 1.5 Street address of the site Warrego Highway between Chinchilla and Miles. Queensland State Road number 18C, between Tdist 101.38 km and 103.68km. 1.6 Lot description The proposed works is located on the Warrego Highway within the road reserve (use GPS points to locate site) adjacent to southern properties 40BWR74 and 5BWR74 and the Queensland State Railway Reserve 351SP116412 to the north. 1.7 Local Government Area and Council contact (if known) Western Downs Regional Council WHUP – Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lane 2 1.8 Time frame Proposed date to finalise design – 21 December 2016 Proposed date to call for construction tenders – prior to 1 February 2017 Proposed start of construction – prior to 1 June 2017 1.9 Alternatives to proposed X No action Yes, you must also complete section 2.2 1.10 Alternative time frames etc No X Yes, you must also complete Section 2.3. For each alternative, location, time frame, or activity identified, you must also complete details in Sections 1.2-1.9, 2.4-2.7 and 3.3 (where relevant). 1.11 State assessment No X Yes, you must also complete Section 2.5 1.12 Component of larger action No X Yes, you must also complete Section 2.7 1.13 Related actions/proposals X No Yes 1.14 Australian Government No funding X Yes, provide please also complete section 2.8 1.15 Great Barrier Reef Marine X No Park Yes, you must also complete Section 3.1 (h), 3.2 (e) WHUP – Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lane 3 2 Detailed description of proposed action 2.1 Description of proposed action The Warrego Highway is Queensland’s principal east-west freight route, extending 714 km west from Brisbane to Charleville. It serves as the main connection between the key agricultural and resource rich regions of western Queensland and the Port of Brisbane, and is critical to the ongoing development of the Surat Basin resources industry. The Highway is a four-lane, dual carriageway highway between Ipswich and Toowoomba, and generally a two-lane highway west of Toowoomba. Through the Warrego Highway Upgrade Strategy (WHUS 2012), the Queensland State Government has identified 41 short, medium and long-term investment priorities over the next 20 years to ensure the Warrego Highway infrastructure continues to serve regional Queensland for decades to come. Key priorities in the strategy are the construction of additional overtaking lanes, the upgrading of intersections and widening of the highway in various locations, and the construction of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing. Based on the goals of the Warrego Highway Upgrade Strategy (WHUS), 15 projects were identified and listed on the Warrego Highway Upgrade Program (WHUP) under a $635 million funding arrangement between the Australian and Queensland governments. The WHUP projects are discussed in Section 2.7 below. One of these projects is the construction of seven overtaking lanes between Dalby and Miles. Figure 4 below indicates the locations of the seven overtaking lanes. This proposed action refers to only the overtaking lanes Site 5(E) and 7(W) (Project Site) in Figure 4 below as this is the only site supporting brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) vegetation. Figure 4. Locations of proposed overtaking lanes between Dalby and Miles. WHUP – Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lane 4 Within the Project Site, brigalow exists either side of the Warrego Highway. A Flora/Fauna/Vegetation survey was conducted by Boobook Ecological Consulting (Attachment A) to determine whether the proposed overtaking lane project at the Project Site would affect any brigalow TEC, or Endangered Vulnerable or Near Threatened (EVNT) flora and fauna species. No EVNT species were identified within the proposed project area, though brigalow TEC was identified. Figure 5 below illustrates the location of brigalow TEC identified by Boobook Ecological Consulting (note that the area surveyed was greater than the Project Site area). This EPBC Referral applies only to the overtaking lanes at the Project Site as construction of these overtaking lanes will affect endangered brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) threatened ecological community (TEC). Construction of all the other overtaking lanes depicted in Figure 4 above will not affect any ‘Matter of National Environmental Significance’. Figure 5. Area (brown) of brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) threatened ecological community (TEC) identified in the Boobook Ecological Consulting survey. Green areas not TEC. Not all of the brigalow TEC identified in the survey will be affected by the proposed works. Figure 6 below illustrates brigalow TEC that will be affected , surveyed brigalow TEC that will not be affect, and brigalow that is non TEC that will and will not be affected. There is brigalow vegetation within the road reserve east and west of the surveyed area, and on adjacent properties. Figure 6. Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) vegetation that will be affected by proposed action The existing road comprises: • Dual carriageway, total width of 7.0 metres, 6.0 metre wide clear zones, and brigalow vegetation to the road reserve boundary fence (illustrated in Figure 7 below). The safety zone is an open area along the road for errant vehicles to recover if they leave the road; • Formed table drains along each side of the Warrego Highway road; • Underground Telstra infrastructure along the southern road reserve boundary; • The Western Railway Line runs parallel to the Warrego Highway on the northern side of the Warrego Highway road reserve; and WHUP – Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lane 5 • Strips of Brigalow vegetation occur parallel to the highway along both the northern and southern sides. The width of vegetation on the southern side of the Warrego Highway is 10.0 metres; the width of vegetation on the northern side of the Warrego Highway is 12.0 metres wide. Figure 7. Type section of existing Warrego Highway formation at Project Site. The proposed works will include: • Constructing adjacent dual overtaking lanes with a 1.0 metre wide painted median, total width of 15.0 metres (Figure 8 below); • Clearing the majority of large brigalow vegetation (an area of 4.14 hectares of the 5.06 ha) in the road reserve between the road formation and the road reserve boundary along the section of Warrego Highway for the 2.30 km length of the overtaking lanes. Vegetation needs to be removed either side of the road to construct 10.5 metre wide safety zones (illustrated in Figure 9 below). • The vegetation to be removed includes a section 8.5 metres wide by 350 metres long (0.30 hectares) of brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) TEC. All the other brigalow vegetation (3.84 hectares) to be cleared in the Project Site is non-TEC brigalow. • Stripping of topsoil; • Boxing out of the current sealed road shoulders on both sides of the road. Construction of overtaking lanes on both sides of the existing road centre line. The sealed road width will be increased from 7.0 metres on the existing road formation to 15.0 metres on the overtaking lanes (refer to Figure 7 below); • Reshaping both sides of the highway to form adequate drainage structures and the replacement of topsoil. A safety zone is required that is a minimum of 10.5 metres wide. This is the standard safety clear zone for this type of road and the existing maximum speed limit of 110 kph; • Construction of the road formation and sealing pavement; • Replacement of line marking and roadside signage; • Stabilisation and rehabilitation of drainage paths and other disturbed areas; • Construction site decommissioning; and road maintenance, including for drainage infrastructure and pavement; and • Overtaking lanes have been designed as per the Department of Transport and Main Roads ‘Road Planning and Design Manual’ which is the department’s primary reference for the planning and design of roads.

Load more