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Toowoomba bypass engineering firm wins prestigious design award

Mainmark designed a bespoke engineered solution to help reline, repair and future-proof seven concrete drainage culverts.

Mainmark, a ground engineering specialist firm, has received a Good Design Award for its role in upgrading and repairing the $1.6 billion Toowoomba Bypass (formerly known as Toowoomba Second Range Crossing),  one of the largest infrastructure projects in Queensland’s history.

Good Design Australia awarded Mainmark with the prestigious accolade in the Engineering Design category in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.

Mainmark designed a bespoke engineered solution to help reline, repair and future-proof seven concrete drainage culverts that were vital to Toowoomba Bypass’ 41-kilometre long dual carriageway and ring road. The bypass was designed to improve freight connections to major ports and markets and reduce the number of trucks on Toowoomba’s local roads, however, the damaged culverts threatened the structural integrity of the bypass.

The Australian Good Design Awards is the country’s oldest and most prestigious international awards for design and innovation dating back to 1958. The Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian and international market, including excellence in architectural design, precinct design and engineering.

The Good Design Awards Jury said Mainmark’s solution was a wonderful example of optimising on a range of parameters within constraints.

“Clearly innovative, this design was clever and had benefits for the project in terms of cost, schedule and quality. This is really impressive design and engineering, and a standout example of good design in this category that deserves to be recognised.”

Joe Glanville, Mainmark’s ANZ General Manager, was thrilled the company’s work was being acknowledged.

“We were really proud to be a part of this important infrastructure project for Queensland. It challenged our ground engineering and asset preservation team to think outside the box and deliver an alternative solution to a complex problem. Being recognised for our efforts is a great reward for all involved.”

Mainmark’s proprietary product Terefil, a lightweight cementitious grout consisting of cement slurry and pre-formed hydrocarbon foam, was a key component of the solution to remediate the compromised culverts underneath the bypass, restoring their structural integrity and ensuring suitable drainage. Mainmark tailored the Terefil solution to suit the specific site constraints and allow the entire project to remain on schedule and within budget.

“Mainmark’s remediation approach was key to helping the Toowoomba Bypass reach stringent industry compliance standards set by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads,” said Mr Glanville.

“Since completion in 2019, the bypass has been able to reduce travel time across the Toowoomba Range by up to 40 minutes for heavy commercial vehicles, improve freight connections and redirect trucks away from Toowoomba’s CBD, which enhances liveability in the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley areas.”

This year, the Australian Good Design Awards attracted 933 submissions that were evaluated by more than 70 Australian and international jurors, including designers, engineers, architects and thought leaders. Each entry was assessed according to a strict set of design evaluation criteria which includes good design, design innovation and design impact.


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