Beaudesert-Nerang Road Culvert Rehabilitation

Pipe Management Australia’s largest diameter UV lining installation to date. Six DN1829 concrete culverts structurally relined in six days as part of a disaster recovery response, just 50 metres upstream of the Coomera River.

At a glance

The challenge

Beaudesert-Nerang Road is a major inter-regional arterial connecting Beaudesert with the Gold Coast via Canungra. Beneath the road, a bank of six DN1829 concrete round culverts required structural rehabilitation as part of the Australian and Queensland Governments' disaster recovery funded response delivered through Ventia.

Each culvert ran 20 metres, giving a total rehabilitation scope of 120 metres at large diameter. Digging up and replacing six concrete culverts of this size beneath a state-controlled arterial would have meant major earthworks, significant cost and lengthy disruption to a busy regional route.

The Coomera River sits just 50 metres downstream of the culverts, so any methodology had to keep environmental risk to an absolute minimum. A trenchless solution was the clear answer. The question was how to deliver it at a diameter beyond anything PMA had relined with UV before, and how fast.

The solution

PMA installed structurally designed Alphaliner UV cured-in-place liners in all six culverts. At DN1829, this became PMA’s largest diameter UV CIPP installation to date, pushing the technology well beyond its typical application range.

As the exclusive East Coast installer of Reline’s German-engineered Alphaliner GRP system, PMA worked closely with Reline on the structural liner design to ensure each liner met the engineering requirements of the asset.

Specialist UV equipment suited to this large diameter pipe, including the truck and light train, was used to cure the liners in place.

UV CIPP was ideally suited to the brief:

• Structural performance. The liner is designed as a structural solution in its own right, restoring the integrity of the host culvert without excavation.
• Speed. UV curing is fast. The light train travels through the pressurised liner and cures it solid, returning each culvert to service quickly.
• Minimal footprint. All work was completed from the existing culvert ends, avoiding excavation above or around the culverts.
• Environmental control. With no dig, no spoil and a contained curing process, the methodology dramatically reduced the risk of working 50 metres from the Coomera River. 

Delivering beside the Coomera River

The proximity of the Coomera River shaped every aspect of project planning. Works were planned and delivered under PMA’s ISO 14001 accredited Integrated Management System, with environmental controls in place to protect the waterway throughout the installation.

Water flow controls were set up around the work zone to divert flows away from the culverts, keeping the area workable even through periods of rain. The crew also adhered to defined exclusion zones to protect local wildlife, including spiders moving through the work area. The trenchless methodology underpinned all of this: no excavation meant no spoil stockpiles, no sediment runoff pathways and minimal disturbance to the surrounding environment.

Working on a live arterial

Beaudesert-Nerang Road carries steady regional traffic, so the major works were staged under a traffic management plan that closed one lane while keeping the road open. This gave the crew the room to operate a crane and vacuum trucks safely alongside live traffic. PMA supplied the vacuum truck itself, one of the practical advantages of engaging a single provider that delivers the full 360 degrees of asset maintenance rather than coordinating multiple subcontractors.

The result

All six DN1829 culverts were structurally relined in just six days. The disaster recovery response was delivered safely, the Coomera River was protected throughout, and the culverts now have a renewed 100 year structural design life confirmed through the project’s engineering design.

Beyond the result on the ground, the project proved that UV lining can be deployed at large diameter, at pace, in a sensitive setting. It set a new benchmark for the diameter PMA can rehabilitate with UV CIPP, expanding what the technology can offer clients across the network. 

Why PMA

PMA delivers the full 360 degree solution for stormwater and wastewater networks across the East Coast, from cleaning and CCTV inspection through to structural rehabilitation and spatial data reporting. With a toolkit spanning UV CIPP, spiral wound, Panel Lok and sectional repairs, we recommend the right solution for each individual asset, backed by nearly 230 professionals and a fleet of more than 140 specialty vehicles.

Learn more about PMA's pipe relining and rehabilitation services.