Merrimac station construction update

Major construction

Throughout September and October 2024, major construction activities will continue within the eastern and western railway reserves and Gooding Drive.

Works will be undertaken between 7:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Saturday, and 8:00am to 1:00pm Sunday (where required).

Works will include:

• Ongoing earthworks activities, stockpiling of materials and heavy vehicle movements in the eastern rail reserve
• Commencement of earthworks and stockpiling of materials in the western reserve, creating increases in heavy vehicle movements in the area
• Ongoing works on public utilities, electrical relocations, shotcrete, conduit trenching and wire transfers to new overhead gantries
• Ongoing rail corridor fencing changes, overhead gantry installations, embankment widening and pile testing
• Ongoing surveying, sewer activities and environmental monitoring
• Ongoing construction of environmental management controls including sedimentation fencing and drainage channels
• Mass soil mixing, improving soft soil by blending in strengthening agents using specialised machinery
• Ongoing minor vegetation clearing in accordance with all relevant approvals, with fauna spotter / catchers in attendance
• Ongoing Gooding Drive roadworks, including night shift activities (see over page for more details).

Rail corridor works

From Gooding Drive overpass to Red Ash Court, Rail corridor works (including night works) are planned to occur outside normal working hours during scheduled track closures, pending construction and weather permitting conditions. Works will include rail corridor fencing changes, earthworks and overhead gantry and structural steel installations.

Works are planned on the following dates:

• From 6:00am Saturday 7 September to 6:00pm Sunday 8 September 2024 (24 hour works)

Gooding Drive roadworks

In both directions from Ghilgai Road to Bourton Road, roadworks will continue on Gooding Drive in both directions (weather and program permitting). These works are planned during both standard day and night shifts, from 7:00pm to 6:00am, Monday to Saturday, and 7:00pm to 5:00am Sunday (where required).

Night works, including cable and light pole removals and relocations, will occur in the Gooding Drive centre median. Once completed, changes to lane width and road alignment will occur in both directions. These works can only be undertaken at night due to safety and traffic management requirements.

Residents near the work sites will receive direct reminders prior to night shift works. Noisier works will be scheduled for day shifts, where possible.

Day and night works on Gooding Drive will include:

• Centre median demolition, cable and light pole removal and relocations
• Asphalting, profiling, line marking and road barrier movements
• Ongoing site access construction, including ongoing heavy vehicle movements

Gooding Drive traffic changes:

• Intermittent daily and nightly single lane closures, speed reductions and short-term delays will be in place on Gooding Drive in both directions, between Ghilgai Road and Bourton Road
• From late October 2024, long-term lane width reductions and alignment changes will be in place on Gooding Drive in both directions, between Ghilgai Road and Bourton Road
• These changes are necessary to create space for the turning lane to the Gooding Drive vehicle access track, which will become the station access road once constructed
• Traffic management and road signage will be in place to assist and direct motorists.

Work areas and vehicle movements

What to expect

• Construction activities may generate increased levels of heavy vehicles, noise, vibration and dust in the area. Every effort will be made to keep these to a minimum
• Construction activity and heavy vehicle movements will continue throughout September and October to transport rock, fill and other materials to the site via Gooding Drive eastbound and westbound
• The imported materials will create level and stable ground to support heavy equipment and structures and is known as pre-loading. This activity will continue in the eastern rail reserve and commence in the western rail reserve
• Ongoing temporary changes to pedestrian access and movements around Gooding Drive (both directions) and Entry Drive, in place until project completion
• Entry Drive on-street parking reinstatement in September 2024.
• Ongoing intermittent parking changes on local roads
• Workers and light vehicles accessing site via Entry Drive, Crelga Court, Nisbet Place and Willunga Place. The new exit ramp on Gooding Drive (westbound) will become operational in early September 2024, which will significantly reduce heavy vehicle volumes on Entry Drive and Ghilgai Road
• Intermittent use of mobile light towers and safety lighting within the rail reserve and Gooding Drive (both directions). Every effort will be made to position light sources away from properties
• The use of machinery including trucks (including water and fuel carts), graders, excavators, vac trucks, cranes, chainsaws, drill rigs, mass soil mixing rig, rollers, chainsaws, boom lifts and hand held tools.

Changes to the way you travel

From Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 September buses will replace trains between Varsity Lakes and Beenleigh as Cross River Rail undertakes works at the new Pimpama, Hope Island and Merrimac stations.

From Saturday 14 to Sunday 29 September, there will be track closures and travel changes across the train network to undertake crucial Cross River Rail works.

We encourage you to consider your travel options, plan ahead and allow extra travel time by using the links below:

• Download the MyTransLink app
• Visit the TransLink website
• Call 13 12 30

If you want to know more, all of this information is available in PDF form:

• Works Notice – Merrimac station construction update – September and October 2024