River Street Duplication - Concept Design Project Overview
To support a growing community and address the congestion along River Street, Ballina Shire Council is continuing plans to duplicate River Street from the Pacific Highway to Kerr Street. Once complete, the four-lane roadway will double the road’s current capacity and cater for traffic up until 2036.
This arterial road project, will include the construction of a new bridge over Fishery Creek, and is a major investment within council's four-year delivery program 2019-2023.
Project Phases
Concept design is the first phase of the River Street lane duplication project. It will be followed by:
Staging determination. This project has been broken down into four stage. The order of these stages will be determined through a further Council report. Project stages: > West Ballina, Burns Point Ferry Drive to east of Brampton Avenue > Fishery Creek Bridge to Tweed Street > Fishery Creek Bridge and approaches > Smith Drive to Burns Point Ferry Drive
Once the order of these stages is confirmed, council determine each stages:
Concept level estimates Investigations and environmental studies Preparation and lodgement of planning applications Planning assessment, public exhibition and approvals Detailed design Construction Concept Designs
The concept design plans provide:
An overview of all the project Scope, plan location and typical cross sections of the roadworks, footpaths, retaining walls and other structures Intersection and major access details Location of services (stormwater, water supply, sewer, electricity, telecommunications) and required service adjustments, at a desktop accuracy level.
A detailed design for each construction stage will follow completion of the concept plans. This will also provide an opportunity for improvements or amendments to the plans following the community's feedback during this consultation process.
The aim of the concept design is to increase and optimise River Street's traffic carrying capacity and accommodate current and future traffic volumes, while still providing acceptable levels of access to adjacent properties and intersecting streets. A number of intersections need to be modified to facilitate the four-lane design, this includes limiting some access options from adjoining streets.
The concept designs can be viewed below, along with an overview document that summarises each section's proposed works.
Alternatively, expand the headings below for a summary of each section's proposed works.
Four lane configuration to be continued east from Smith Drive. A central crowned cross section with raised median will be provided, accesses will be left in/left out only. A roundabout is provided in the design tor the approved Highway Services Centre (DA 2016/92) and associated floodway culverts under River Street. If the services centre and roundabout proceed, construction would be financed by the developer. If the services centre does not proceed, the roundabout and culverts will not be constructed by council as part of the lane duplication project. A leg of the roundabout is provided for Emigrant Creek Lane. Existing flood overflow levels along the River Street formation are maintained. Provision is made for an auxiliary left turn lane into the Caravan Park and an adjusted Caravan Park entrance. Stormwater is to be piped, removing existing open drain along the Caravan Park frontage. Provision is made for left in/left out entrances north and south sides of River Street between the Caravan Park and Burns Point Ferry Road to allow for future development. No change is proposed to the existing River Street/Burns Point Ferry Drive/Riverbend Drive roundabout.
Eastbound lanes are already duplicated, no further change proposed. Westbound lane to be duplicated (involves deep pavement dig out and replacement). Mill out and new asphalt surface for parking lane. No change to existing central raised median. No change to existing River Street/Quays Drive/Bunnings roundabout.
Eastbound and westbound lanes to be duplicated (involves deep pavement dig out and replacement). Mill out and new ashpalt surface for parking lane. Central raised islands/median to be provided full length, eliminating right turns at Ronan Place. Ronan Place entrance to be reconfigured to facilitate heavy vehicle left in/left out turns. No change proposed to existing River Street/Barlows Road/Keppel Street roundabout.
Plan Drawings C110, C111, C201. Typical Cross Sections C101 (Section 6)
This section will contain the future Western Arterial signalised intersection, opposite Brampton Avenue (connecting River Street to Tamarind Drive at North Creek Road). The intersection has been concept designed to ensure compatibility with the River Street lane duplication, but the intersection, pathways, retaining walls and other associated infrastructure will not be constructed until the Western Arterial is constructed at some future date.
The concept designs attached to this report provide for the full Western Arterial intersection including:
The existing four lane concrete pavement, with raised centre median in River Street will be unchanged from Barlows Road to West of The Western Arterial intersection. A new pathway to be provided on north side of River Street from Barlows Road to connect with future pathway along Western Arterial Road. Retaining walls to be used on north side of formation to avoid/minimise encroachment into adjacent mangrove areas. A signalised intersection has been designed for the Western Arterial Road opposite Brampton Avenue. The intersection design is based on intersection (SIDRA) modelling using predicted 2036 traffic volumes. The intersection will require acquisition of 108 sqm of private property on the northwest corner. Timing for construction of the Western Arterial and this intersection is not determined at this time. Signalised pedestrian crossings of Western Arterial and River Street have been provided. Adequate right turn protected lane storage in southbound Western Arterial and westbound River Street is provided to cater for predicted 2036 traffic volumes. Brampton Ave to be modified to left out only to River Street.
For the River Street Lane Duplication Project (this project, prior to construction of the Western Arterial), the following only will be provided:
The configuration of the existing four lane concrete pavement, with raised centre median in River Street will be unchanged from Barlows Road to east of Brampton Ave The existing Brampton Avenue seagull intersection will be unchanged, as will be the connection to Johnson Drive
Eastbound and westbound lanes to be duplicated and raised centre median provided. Westbound lanes diverge to south of existing road to align with approaches to new duplicate Fishery Creek Bridge. New pathway to be provided on south side of River Street, east from Brampton Avenue to Boatharbour Road. There may be a small reduction in Johnson Drive width to accommodate the River Street pathway. A pathway will extend from Boatharbour Road onto a new pathway alignment on the south side of duplicate Fishery Creek Bridge and approaches. Retaining walls to be used on the north side of the road formation to avoid/minimise encroachment into adjacent mangrove areas. Left in/left out access only provided for Fishery Creek Road. • Left in/left out access retained for Boatharbour Road. Westbound lanes west of duplicate bridge are elevated and retained by a retaining wall from Boatharbour Road to the bridge. The new, elevated westbound lane formation will partly encroach on the existing vehicle and boat/trailer parking area. The boat/trailer parking area will be reconfigured as part of the future detailed design.
The pathway works between Brampton Avenue and Boatharbour Road will not be part of the lane duplication works, but will be provided as part of the future Western Arterial Project, intersection works. For the initial River Street lane duplication project, the existing pathway along Johnson Drive and River Street (south side) will remain as the primary east/west pedestrian path.
A duplicate Fishery Creek Bridge carrying two westbound lanes and a pathway is to be provided on the south of the existing bridge. The existing bridge will carry two eastbound lanes, the pathway on the south side of the existing bridge will be removed. The duplicate bridge will have the same deck level and pier/span spacing as the existing bridge. The duplicate bridge pathway is on the south side which will connect to existing and new connecting pathways on the south side of River Street.
Duplicate eastbound and westbound lanes will be extended eastward from the duplicated bridges to merge with the existing duplicated lanes west of Tweed Street. There will be a continuous raised centre median with a breaks for Brunswick Street intersection only. Norlyn Avenue will no longer have left in/left out access to River Street due to the height and proximity of the duplicate (westbound) bridge approaches and associated retaining wall. Norlyn Avenue will terminate with a turning head adjacent to River Street with provision for all existing property accesses. Norlyn Avenue will be accessed via Latta Avenue and Henry Philp Avenue. Bagot Street access functionality will be unchanged with left out access only. Henry Philp Avenue will be left in/left out only. Brunswick Street intersection will be unchanged regarding access to River Street. It will be configured to enable future signalisation which can be pursued if future traffic volumes reach RMS warrants (RMS designated traffic volume thresholds). The cross fall, beyond the centre concrete pavement, of a portion of River Street between Henry Philp Avenue to midway between Brunswick and Tweed Street, has excessive side slope for through traffic. Correction (reduction) of this cross fall will be required for parts of the outer duplicate lanes. This will require elevation of some sections of kerb and gutter which in turn will create lowered sections of verge/footpath. These lowered areas will be provided with a separate stormwater drainage system. Pedestrian access to properties will be maintained and no vehicular accesses will be adversely impacted by the elevated kerbs.
Resources More information
Please contact, Patrick Knight, Development Engineer, Ph 1300 864 444.
provide your feedback on a draft concept plan for a district park including skatepark on Plateau Drive, Wollongbar Read more
