How the APB TSRC Joint Venture Improved Data Access and Collaboration on the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing

The Challenge

The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing project was awarded to Nexus Infrastructure in August 2015 to design, construct, operate and maintain a 41km road bypass. Once completed, it would connect the Warrego Highway at Helidon Spa in the east to the Gore Highway at Athol in the west via Charlton, helping reduce congestion in the Toowoomba CBD, divert heavy vehicles from local streets and improve efficiency and driver safety. The project was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments as a $1.6 billion infrastructure program.

For the APB TSRC Joint Venture, managing project information across this large and complex design environment created several challenges. The team needed a better way to share and manage 12d Model data, while also handling SWMM data, GIS data, project tasks and large volumes of email correspondence. Performance across office locations was also a concern, particularly when staff needed to move between offices or work remotely without long delays opening project files.

In parallel, the team needed a way to coordinate and track email communication for more than 80 people, while ensuring project information could still be searched, shared externally and archived when required.

The Solutions

WSP and Aurecon implemented 12d Synergy to manage and share 12d Model data across the project. The platform was also used to manage SWMM data, GIS data and project tasks, helping improve collaboration and communication across the design teams.

A central repository was created for both project data and emails, making information easier to access, search and selectively export for sharing with project partners, backups or archiving. For email management, 12d Synergy integrated with two existing Exchange email servers, allowing correspondence to be filed and searched by both content and email attributes.

By bringing project files and communications into one controlled environment, the joint venture created a more connected and efficient way to manage delivery across the project.

The Result

• Project performance improved from 30–40 minutes to around 1–2 minutes when opening similar projects in some cross-office scenarios.
• Staff could work more effectively from any office in the country or from home.
• Email management was streamlined for 80+ people.
• A central repository improved access to 12d Model, SWMM, GIS, project tasks and email correspondence.
• Project information could be searched, exported and archived more easily.
• Collaboration and communication improved across the design teams.

Spotlight Project: Toowoomba Second Range Crossing

The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing was a major road infrastructure project designed to improve freight efficiency and safety while reducing congestion through the Toowoomba CBD. Spanning 41km and backed by $1.6 billion in government funding, the project required a coordinated design environment capable of supporting multiple data types, distributed teams and large volumes of communication.

For the APB TSRC Joint Venture, this made the project an ideal use case for a more connected approach to data and correspondence management. The need to manage engineering files, project tasks and emails in one environment was central to keeping information accessible and teams aligned.

Improving data access and day-to-day collaboration

One of the most immediate benefits of 12d Synergy was improved access to project data across office locations. Ben Brown noted that before using the platform, opening the same project from another office over the corporate network could take 30 to 40 minutes. With 12d Synergy’s local caching technology, similar projects could be opened in around 1 to 2 minutes, making it much easier to work productively from other offices or from home.

This improvement in performance helped reduce delays in day-to-day design work and gave staff greater flexibility in where they could work without sacrificing access speed or usability. It also strengthened collaboration by making current project data easier to access across the wider team.

Strengthening email management and traceability

Email management was another important part of the solution. With more than 80 people involved in project communication, the team needed a way to coordinate and track correspondence without relying on disconnected inboxes or manual filing systems.

By integrating with the project’s existing Exchange email servers, 12d Synergy allowed emails to be filed into a central environment and searched by both content and metadata. This made project communication easier to track and retrieve, while also supporting external sharing, backup and archiving requirements when information needed to be exported.