AECOM was engaged by Goldwind Australia Pty Ltd (Goldwind) to provide detailed civil design services and develop a traffic management plan to enable an “Early Works” construction programme for Stockyard Hill Wind Farm (SHWF), located approximately 35 km west of Ballarat. The SHWF will be the largest wind farm in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere (530MW, comprising 149 Goldwind 3.57MW wind turbines). Prior to the commencement of construction activities on site, AECOM’s role included:
- Preparing the Traffic Management Plan (TMP) and coordinating VicRoads and council approvals
- Developing detailed designs for 34 km of local council roads and six VicRoads intersections used to deliver wind farm components from the port to the site
- Undertake a pre-construction pavement dilapidation survey and develop pavement handback criteria for the operational/maintenance phase of the project.
The TMP was developed with the following objectives in mind:
- To provide a safe environment for all persons working on, and traffic travelling along, roads in the vicinity of the project
- To minimise the impact of the works required for the SHWF on the road network and adjacent landowners/occupiers
- To minimise delays to bus services (and where possible, give priority to public transport), and minimise interference with people’s ability to access buses
- To cater for the needs of all road users
- To communicate the arrangements for, and impacts of, any activities affecting traffic
- To satisfy conditions 37 and 44 of the SHWF planning permit (Permit No. PL-SP/05/0548/A).
The TMP involved extensive consultation with VicRoads and the local council. AECOM was able to gain acceptance of the proposed TMP and associated detailed civil design with relatively few comments.
AECOM have also successfully completed similar services recently for the Moorabool Wind Farm.