CFMEU head calls on Neil Scales to resign, describing Toowoomba Bypass as ‘catastrophic engineering failure’

A senior CFMEU boss called on the TMR director general to resign for what he sees as a major engineering failure during the construction of Toowoomba Bypass following the collapse of cutting sections under the weight of storm water.

The head of the CFMEU has called on Transport and Main Roads director-general Neil Scales to resign over what he sees as a culture of accepting low-ball tenders that led to the engineering failure of the $1.6b Toowoomba Bypass three years after it opened.

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union assistant state secretary for Queensland Jade Ingham said the mega project which officially opened in September 2019 was plagued with safety and quality issues during the build that he blames on TMR accepting a “cheap Charlie” tender from Nexus Group.

Those concerns came to head two months ago when large sections of drainage and earthworks along two sections of the bypass collapsed, leading TMR to close the viaduct and re-route thousands of daily eastbound vehicles through Toowoomba.

CFMEU assistant secretary Jade Ingham described the Toowoomba Bypass as an engineering failure. Pictures David Clark

TMR has blamed the damage on exceptional rainfall but Mr Ingham claims the crumbling of the mega project was the result of inadequate stabilisation work during the construction phase.

“They did not undertake the proper preparation work or any of the pre-pour engineering work, such as underpinning, laying geo fabric or installation of expansion joints,” he claims

“The earth swells and contracts but they did not make proper allowances for that.”

“TMR can blame the weather but the weather has not affected other sections.

“It didn’t just rain on the northern side of the bypass.”

There are two sections of concern.

The union claims the first would require a contractor to remove 180,000 cubic metres of soil before installing new re-enforcement and stabilisation infrastructure and spraying fresh shotcrete.

Large sections of a cutting along the eastbound lanes of the Toowoomba Bypass have fallen away.

Large sections of the spoon drains have also washed away and must be rebuilt.

The union said a contractor has been assigned to the first section with work expected to be complete by August 2023.

It is alleged repairs for the second section will not start until April 2023 with TMR still in the design phase.

The union said this section is larger, steeper and closer to the roadway than the first and would not be complete until April 2024 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Mr Ingham said he has grave concerns for the safety of workers and motorists.

The Chronicle understands seismic sensors have been buried in the cutting with evacuation orders in place if any soil movement is detected.

While workers will hear any alarms that triggered the evacuation the union is concerned motorists won’t.

The CFMEU has called on TMR director-general Neil Scales to resign over the Toowoomba Bypass failures. Pics Tara Croser.

Mr Ingham said he believed the current structural failures were a consequence of cost-cutting within TMR that negatively affected safety and quality.

“The quality of the job was atrocious,” he said.

While the joint ventures partners Acciona and Ferrovial, under Nexus, were responsible for employing subcontractors to build the bypass, Mr Ingham said ultimate responsibility sat with TMR as it was government staff who certified the cuttings.

He said there was a culture of accepting low-ball tenders that sacrifice quality and safety.

“The CFMEU will continue to stand up for civil construction workers and the taxpayers of Queensland and make TMR take responsibility,” Mr Ingham said.

“Neil Scales should resign immediately because the fish rots from the head and TMR needs a massive cultural change and clean out starting at the top.”

The CFMEU has called for Transport and Main Roads director general Neil Scales to resign of the Toowoomba Bypass failures.

The CFMEU has called for Transport and Main Roads director general Neil Scales to resign of the Toowoomba Bypass failures.

A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said their contractor Nexus was working as quickly as possible to undertake repairs on the Toowoomba Bypass.

“The Toowoomba Bypass was built using a highly scrutinised, multi-agency design and construction methodology,” the spokesperson said.

“An independent review of the project certified all works were completed in accordance with the approved drawings and standards. No two road construction sites are the same, and complex geotechnical issues are the primary cause of these cut face issues.

“Our contract specifies that Nexus will make repairs and provide ongoing maintenance of the Toowoomba bypass for 25 years following completion in 2019, at its expense. Due to this, we are confident the quality of construction is a high priority for Nexus.”

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government inherited the Toowoomba Bypass from the previous Newman Government when they took office in 2015, and the lowest price dominated considerations over safety of workers.

“At that advanced stage of the procurement process, any intervention would have put back the project many years at time when major infrastructure jobs were at a shortage after years of LNP cuts,” he said.

“Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace and I acted together at the time to improve safety on the Toowoomba Bypass construction site by meeting face to face with Nexus to rectify safety deficiencies on behalf of construction workers.

“Since that time, the contract form has been reformed under the Palaszczuk Labor Government via Best Practice Industry Conditions to prevent the safety deficiencies that happened on that project’s construction.

“Any attempt to re-write history for whatever reason is not helpful nor accurate.”