Successful Collaboration – Outer Circulating Road Project by Angela Fry

Abstract

Successful Collaboration – Outer Circulating Road Project The Outer Circulating Road (OCR) Victoria Street has successfully been delivered by Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) in collaboration with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), Queensland Rail (QR), Ergon Energy, engineering consultants GHD Pty Ltd (GHD) and the community.

The project began as a way to improve traffic efficiency, but achieved outcomes far beyond the original brief. Through collaboration and team work, the project has succeeded in driving the transformation of a long-neglected area of Toowoomba’s northern CBD. This includes the significant safety and flood mitigation benefits to an area devastated by flooding in 2011, and opened the door to future development opportunities. The work has ensured a safer and more reliable power supply network in the area, and showcases the historic Toowoomba Railway Station and surrounding rail precinct.

The OCR Victoria Street extension project is a shining example of the benefits of genuine collaboration. Council proactively engaged with the community and a range of project partners to ensure the realisation of shared goals by successfully delivering this project. Upon commencement of the design, the project team recognised that in order to overcome the extensive challenges, collaboration with key stakeholders was imperative. Through timely and effective engagement with these stakeholders, shared goals were identified, and project partnerships were developed in order to achieve these goals. This included internal Council stakeholders and asset owners, QR, DTMR, GHD, Ergon Energy and local businesses and residents. This involved informal agreements with internal council stakeholders and the community, as well as formalised agreements with DTMR, QR, GHD and Ergon. These formal agreements were enhanced by the establishment of strong working relationships between each of these organisations and Council, based on the desire to successfully achieve the mutually beneficial project goals.