Implementing contemporary sustainabilitypractices to support policy changes (CaseStudy)

In 2019, the Australian and South Australian governments committed $354.3
million to construct the Regency Road to Pym Street (R2P) Project as part of
their overall commitment to build a non-stop North-South Corridor.
The project comprises an at-grade motorway from the existing motorway
infrastructure to the north (South Road Superway); an overpass of the
motorway over Regency Road; and an at-grade motorway from Regency
Road to Pym Street, transitioning to the lowered motorway infrastructure
(Torrens Road to River Torrens Project).
Sustainability outcomes across environmental, social and economic areas
were key to the success of the project which achieved Gold level
Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) ratings, the first v2.0 IS Design and As-built
ratings in Australasia.
Key sustainability outcomes include:
● A 9% reduction in energy use and 5% reduction in embodied greenhouse
gas emissions across construction and operation
● Circular economy outcomes in asphalt through the use of soft plastics
● Development and implementation of a Resource Efficiency Action Plan
● Implementation of a Green Infrastructure Plan.
Key to the achievement of sustainability outcomes included DIT specifying
sustainability requirements in the contract and the partnering between the
Alliance Delivery Team and the local industry. This facilitated trials of new
technologies and a focus on more outcome focusses specifications to
ensure that future infrastructure projects test and challenge opportunities for
more sustainable solutions prior to accepting traditional methods of design
and construction.
This presentation will provide an overview of the project, how the contract
requirements and Infrastructure Sustainability ratings drove sustainability
outcomes and an overview of the policy and contract requirement changes
following this project’s success.