Geotechnical design and construction aspects of the M80 bridges across Moonee Ponds Creek in Melbourne

This paper describes the design of embankments and piled foundations for new bridges across Moonee Ponds Creek as part of the Melbourne M80 Upgrade Project. The bridges are part of the eastbound duplication and consist of 7 spans (main carriageway) and 8 spans (auxiliary exit). The maximum approach embankment height relative to the existing ground surface levels is 17 m, which is up to 6.5 m higher than the adjacent embankment. Moonee Ponds Creek transects the Newer Volcanics and Melbourne Mudstone forming an incised valley (Moonee Ponds Creek Valley) filled with Quaternary alluvial deposits. Significant settlement was experienced during the construction of the original embankments in the early 1990s. The specification for the new bridges imposed tight settlement requirements. This challenge was compounded by restricted space between assets and a tight construction time frame.

Details of the construction methodology together with the results of settlement monitoring and the monitoring of vibration due to impact rolling and pile driving are presented.