Constructing a Bridge to Link the Riverina Highway to the Hodge Island Reserve Report

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Updated: May 16th, 2024

Table of Contents

Introduction
Bridge Design
SWOT Analysis
Technical Challenges
Economic Analysis
Environmental Impacts
Risk Analysis
Reference List

Introduction

The Murray River is one of the most important waterways in the entire Australian continent. The river is the lifeline of hundreds of thousands of people who live along its banks. This proposal presents the requirements for constructing a bridge to link the Riverina Highway to the Hodge Island Reserve. The Bridge will open up the Island for tourist activity, and in the process, it will improve the economy of New South Wales (NSW).

The aim of the bridge construction project is to provide tourists with a means of accessing the Hodge Island Reserve for camping and for leisure activities. The project objective is to build a 100-meter bridge to serve as the access route to the Hodge Island reserve.

The rationale for the construction of this bridge is as follows. First, the Hodge Island reserve is currently uninhabited and it serves as a breeding ground for various animals. The island has the potential of employing more than 5000 people directly and indirectly if the NSW government opens it up for tourism.

The Island is an ideal camping ground and can serve a mooring bay for boats. The government will not construct permanent structures on the reserve. It will identify ideal camping spots and make sites for pitching tents. This will ensure that there is minimum disturbance of the environment of the island.

Figure 1: Map Showing the Proposed Location of the Hodge Island Bridge.

Bridge Design

The Hodge Island Bridge should meet the following design constraints. First, the construction process and the final structure should not lead to major disturbance of the natural environment of the Hodge Island Reserve. The reserve serves as a breeding ground for several species of animals. Extensive damage to their habitat because of bridge construction may lead to permanent loss of breeding grounds for these animals.

Secondly, the bridge should avoid the riverbanks to ensure that the water way is not disturbed. Thirdly, the final design of the bridge and its access road should not disturb traffic on the Riverina Highway.

The bridge should be large enough to accommodate camping trucks, and should be able to support light traffic. The bridge should also have a pedestrian walk way. Since the bridge will lead to a reserve, it will require a barrier to ensure that only authorised traffic enter the Island.

The best bridge design for this project is a cable stayed suspension bridge. This will require only two supports in the waterway, and minimal works on the riverbanks. The proposed design for the is shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Sketch of a Cable Stayed Suspension Bridge.

The dimensions of the Proposed Bridge are as follows. The central span will be 100 meters, the deck spans will be 20 meters each. The width of the decks will be 5 meters to accommodate two-way traffic and a pedestrian walk way. The abutment will be 10 meters.

SWOT Analysis

Table 1 below presents the SWOT analysis for the bridge construction project.

Strengths	Weaknesses
The chosen bridge design is popular in Australia. This will make it easy to conduct accurate feasibility studies and impact assessments. The construction company has experience in making such bridges in many part of Australia There will be little or no disturbance to the traffic on the Riverina highway because of the proposed location of the bridge The inclusion of a barrier will promote controlled access. This will eliminate overuse and will increase the confidence of the environmental regulators in the sustainability of the reserve	There will be some disturbance to the environment during construction from debris and noise. This may lead to pollution of the river water, and the death of some organisms The project will also lead to the loss of some trees and plants to make way for the embankments and the anchorage blocks. Micro ecosystems in the immediate area of the bridge will be lost.
Opportunities	Threats
The bridge will help create 5000 jobs in the post construction phase, and another 300 jobs in the preconstruction and construction phases. This will help reduce unemployment in NSW The bridge will position NSW as a tourist destination because it will make the Hodge Island Reserve accessible to tourists The Bridge will also increase the sense of ownership of the reserve among the locals because it will enable them to enjoy its benefits	There may be resistance from environmental activists who would not like to see the Island opened up for human activity. This may influence the state government The riverbanks may prove unstable because of the silt deposited during the formation of the island. This may complicate the construction of the embankments, and may increase the cost of the project Unstable prices of construction material and the high cost of labour will also complicate the project

Table 1: SWOT Analysis.

Technical Challenges

This project has three main technical issues. These are the design of the bridge, the construction process, and the maintenance requirements in the post construction phase.

The design of the bridge is a technical challenge because of the possibility that the riverbanks may not support the weight of the bridge. This means that extensive civil works may be necessary to ensure that the final structure is stable. The choice of a cable-stayed bridge came from the need to for minimal disturbance of the waterway.

The construction process will also be technically challenging. Any construction process inevitably leads to the accumulation of debris. It is crucial for the contractors to come up with construction processes that will lead to the least accumulation of debris in the construction site. One of the options of achieving this goal is to commission a secondary site for the construction of all steel parts for later assembly.

The third technical challenge associate with the project is the maintenance requirements of a cable-stayed bridge. Cable stayed bridges require regular inspection to ensure that all parts are functioning well. The bridge will have exposure to local humid conditions, as well as fluctuations in the weather patterns. The NSW government will need to appoint a maintenance contractor after the commissioning of the bridge.

Economic Analysis

The main costs associated with this project are as follows.

The main costs associated with this project

The Net Present Value

The following calculation gives Net present Value (NPV) of the project.

F = P(1+i)ⁿ

Where

F = Future Value

P = Principal

i = Interest rate (10% pa)

n = number of years (5 years)

The NPV for this project is $ 7649922.5

Payback Period

The projected income from this project is estimated at $2,000,000 per year. The Simple Payback Period (SPP) in this case is given by F/I

Where

F = Future Value

I = Income

Therefore,

SPP = F/I

= 7,649,922.5/2,000,000

= 3.8 years

Environmental Impacts

This project will have a varied number of environmental impacts. Table 1 below provides an analysis of these impacts and the mitigation measures applicable for each case.

Category	Impact			Mitigation Measures
	Direct	Indirect	Cumulative
Cultural Impacts	The arrival of tourists at the Hodge Island reserve will lead to cultural interaction between the local population and the tourists Tourists will become potential immigrants to the region if they like the environment	A population surge will occur as more people join the nearby communities, leading to alterations in the local culture. A greater population will lead to more pressure on resources		Stricter immigration policies to guard against a population surge
Economic Impacts	NSW will make money from tourist activities at the Hodge Island Reserve, and from other supporting industries such as transport, and entertainment. There will be more jobs for locals directly at the reserve and indirectly in industries supporting activities at the reserve. Jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project	The increased earnings from the reserve will increase the capacity of the NSW government to take care of the reserves in its jurisdiction	The GDP of NSW will increase based on earning from activities at the Hodge Island Reserve	Ensure that all businesses operating in the reserve are licensed and are tax compliant
Water Quality	Debris from the constructions site will pollute river water. Siltation will result from the drying of concrete lumps on the river bed	Debris (concrete remains, silt from excavation works, )will affect water flow characteristics and Debris will also have an adverse short term impact on current downstream uses of the river water for the period of construction	Alteration of the water quality	Divert the river course during construction work on the river bed Use construction nets to catch falling debris
Flora and Fauna	Permanent loss of Flora and Fauna displaced by bridge Loss of breeding and nesting grounds due to changes in water flow characteristics along the river	Debris may lead to death of certain species that are not tolerant to constructions waste. Loss of breeding and nesting grounds due to changes in water flow characteristics may lead to an upset of the ecological balance of the river basin, leading to further unpredictable ecological changes	Permanent changes in the ecology of the river basin with greater effects being felt downstream	Assess flora and fauna that will be affected and develop a response strategy based in extent of effect

Table 2: Environmental Impact Assessment.

Risk Analysis

A construction project always has a number of inherent risks. The risk management Matrix below in Table 3 presents the profiles of the risks, their assessment and management options.

Risk Profile			Risk Assessment and Management
Category	Specific Risks	Sources of Risk	Impact	Probability	Priority	Actions
Technical Risks	Design failures	Design failure can result from wrong assumptions about the conditions of the construction site. Design failures can also result from poor design skills.	5	1	5	Carry out a site assessment before the commencement of the construction
	Use of low quality materials	This risk can occur if the suppliers of the raw materials do not provide the right kind of materials for the project	5	2	10	Procure materials from reputed firms. Test each batch delivered before committing them to the project
Financial Risks	Cash flow constrains	Cash flow constraints can result from failure by the NSW government to remit payments in tandem with the construction schedule. This can in turn affect the overall project duration leading to an increase in overheads	1	4	4	Negotiate for large payouts
	Budget overshoot	The project can go above budget if there is need to repeat the construction process because of poor construction material or poor applications of the materials. This risk can also occur of there is an increase in the work needed to deliver the project objectives such as the need to carry out more excavation to ensure the stability of the final structure.	2	4	8
	Cost underestimation	The cost of materials can change very rapidly. If this happens, then the finances of the project will be insufficient. It may also occur if the company conducts a poor project appraisal	1	5	5	Ask the NSW government to allow for fluctuations in the cost of materials for the project. Appoint a project economist to appraise the proposal to eliminate underestimation of costs.
Environmental Risks	Noise Pollution	Construction equipment will cause noise during the construction of the project.	5	3	15	Warn the neighbor of the noise levels that will emanate from the site, and schedule all noisy activities to reduce the number of people affected by the noise
	Water pollution	Falling debris and excavation works will lead to the pollution of the water in the river	3	5	15	Use construction nets to catch falling debris
	Destruction of Flora and Fauna	It is necessary to cut down some trees and to clear bushes around anchorage of the bridge	3	4	12	Cut as few trees as possible
Project Risks	Labor unrest	Labor unrest may result from poor working conditions, poor pay, or because of dangerous working conditions	2	5	10	Ensure that all workers have adequate protective apparatus while at work Negotiate with the workers for competitive rates that are within the budget estimates Ensure that workers have comfortable and predictable working schedules
	Project scope creep	There will be need to construct a driveway to the bridge and one after it to access the part. These driveways are not part of the bridge construction process.	2	5	10	Ensure that the scope statement is agreed upon before the construction process starts
	Time (Approvals and getting supplies)	This risk can occur of there are delays in approvals or the release of funds. Such delays can occur in case on an instability in the government	2	4	8	Negotiate for large payments reduce the need for approvals during the life of the project.

Table 3: Risk Management Matrix.

Reference List

FHWA 2011, Technical Manual for Design and Construction of Road Tunnels – Civil Elements. Web.

Karim, S. B. A., Berawi, M. A., Yahya, I. A., Abdul-Rahman, H. & Mohamed, O. 2007, ‘The Integration of Value and Risk Management In Infrastructure Projects: Learning from Others’, Quantity Surveying International Conference., Value Management Centre (VMC), Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpar.

Kerzner, H. 2009, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling, 10th edn, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

Lingard, H. & Rowlinson, S. M. 2005, Occupational Health and Safety in Construction Project Management, Taylor & Francis, Oxon.

Othman, A. A. 2005, ‘Value and Risk Management Protocol for Dynamic Brief Development in Construction’, Emirates Journal for Engineering Research, vol 10, no. 2, pp. 23-36.

Tejavibulya, P. & Eiamkanchanalai, S. 2011, ‘The Impacts of Opinion Leaders towards Purchase Decision Engineering under Different Types of Product Involvement’, Systems Engineering Procedia, vol 2, no. 1, pp. 12-22.

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