The Pacific Highway Upgrade has just won the 2021 AILA NSW Award for Landscape Architecture for Infrastructure. The citation reads:

In this legacy project that has been undertaken over a 24-year period, the landscape architect has been instrumental in the delivery of sustainable outcomes associated with the planning, design and implementation of the 675-kilometre duplication of the highway between Hexham, New South Wales and the Queensland border.

33 Parallel director Darren Mansfield, as director / lead landscape architect, has been involved in a good number of the individual upgrades that make up the Highway, so it is as good a time as any to reminisce about some of them, starting with ;

1. Bonville- After advising on the planting for the Brunswick to Yelgun section, Darren, while director at design firm HBO+EMTB Urban and Landscape Design was the lead landscape architect for the Detail Design to Construction of the Bonville upgrade which included a 60 metre wide vegetated Koala crossing overpass.

2. Devils Pulpit-Detail Design to Construction

3. Oxley Highway to Kempsey – Concept Design

4. Macleay River and Floodplain Bridge – Tender Design to Construction

5. Oxley Highway to Kundabung – Tender design to construction

6. Kundabung to Kempsey – Detail Design

7. Nambucca Heads to Urunga-Tender Design to Construction

8. Tintenbar to Ewingsdale – Construction Phase

9. Glenugie to Maclean - detail design and construction documentation.

   
   
   

It’s also worth mentioning the 50km long Hunter Expressway which branches off the M1 Pacific Highway and was the first dual carriageway greenfield hinterland expressway to be constructed by NSW Roads and Maritime. Darren led the urban and landscape design for both sections working with Lend Lease on the western section between Kurri Kurri to Branxton and with the NSW Roads and Maritime/Theiss/Hyder/PB Alliance on the eastern section between the F3 to Kurri Kurri.

And more from the AILA award citation for Pacific Highway:

This sweeping green highway provides panoramic views to the Great Dividing Range and forests, farmland and coastline. The sustainable outcomes have been exceptional and include the provision of an important connection to Country and the creation of an environmentally sensitive and responsive landscape.

Social and environmental outcomes include the minimizing of visual impacts, the provision of rest areas and parks, the integrated design of bridges, tunnels and walls, and the maximizing of landscape spatial qualities such as soils, planting and seeding. These measures have significantly improved the design and created an outstanding outcome for both the community and the stakeholders.

The depth of thought and leadership demonstrated in this project has resulted in a national benchmark for highway design with an ecological dimension.