Ripley Valley Boardwalk

The alignment for this creek crossing in South Ripley runs directly along and across a live 400 mm trunk sewer, inside its easement. A sewer of that size serves a whole catchment, so the boardwalk had to sit over it with light loads and no heavy plant near the main. The finished structure is 34 metres long and 3 metres wide, built to the accessible walking track classification so everyone in the new community can use it.

Foundations were set out from the sewer itself, at irregular centres of 1,802 mm and 3,777 mm, and the structure steps around the main. The composite fibre boardwalk puts low loads into the ground, and its members are easy for a crew to handle, which kept heavy plant off the easement. The deck sits 700 mm above the modelled Q100 flood level.