How Terra Firma solutions brought life back to this historic site

Kangaroo Point Riverwalk in Brisbane takes you through the heart of the city and offers picturesque views of the river parks, botanic gardens and the bustling restaurant and café scene that lines the river’s path.

It is a highly trafficked area, with locals and tourists enjoying the scenic walk all year round. However, there were growing safety concerns amongst the council as this prominent area started to feel the effects of its use.

The structure’s flooring was rotting and had become slippery, and to make matters worse, temporary solutions such as mesh overlay proved unsafe and needed to be removed immediately.

Brisbane City Council engaged Terra Firma directly to request an immediate solution to help solve these problems.

Kangaroo Point Riverwalk: well-worn to worn well

The Kangaroo Point Riverwalk had some challenges. A high-traffic area like this required solid flooring to accommodate pedestrians, small-cleaning vehicles, and larger emergency service vehicles.

The structure itself needed to stay intact, and the new flooring installation needed minimal disruption to the busy area.

One specific requirement of the project, which gave constraints to the solution, was the need for ‘heel safe’ flooring, meaning high heels could be worn on the riverwalk without any issues.

The Perfect Solution

Terra Firma offered the solution of a Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Trench Deck, which differs from traditional FRP materials because of its weight-bearing properties and solid surface. The Trench Deck technology interlocks with a tongue and groove type system.

Key benefits of the Trench Deck includes:

High corrosion resistance

• Glass Reinforced Plastic Trench Deck is perfect in a highly corrosive environment.
• Able to withstand aggressive chemicals and extreme conditions

Durable

• High glass-to-resin ratio ensures great strength and load-bearing performance
• Does not rot or need regular maintenance and replacement like wood decking

Light-weight

• 75% lighter than metal, risk of manual handling is lower than traditional materials
• Easily cut, transported and maneuvered. No heavy lifting equipment required

Easy to install

• Can be easily cut to size no matter the complexity of the layout
• Can be cut and adjusted on-site with hand tool

Low maintenance

• Highly durable and sustainable
• No need for renovations, maintenance or refurbishment

Terra Firma FRP Trench Deck was the perfect solution for this case as it ticked all the boxes. Additionally, Terra Firma used a durable grip finish to ensure a non-slip P5-rated surface. It’s the highest anti-slip rating achievable by any measure and was the perfect solution for the project.

Made to measure

Since the structure is a popular and heavily used pedestrian and bike trail-, closure for installation needed to be minimal. Terra Firma designed the walkway In two halves to ensure no one’s early morning riverside walk was interrupted. After initial measurements were taken at the Riverwalk, Terra Firma cut the planks offsite and delivered the 30m long riverwalk in clearly labelled parts, making for a quick and easy installation.

Additionally, the project and materials required comprehensive testing because of the nature of the project and the location it was to be installed.

Easy Installation

Terra Firma was able to develop a detailed cutting plan for the project. Before starting the construction of the riverwalk, they measured its dimensions on site and then made precise cuts offsite to fit the required measurements.

Each plank was numbered, which made the processes easier for the third-party contractor to effectively set the Trench Deck into the structure like a modular system for a seamless installation.

The lightweight nature of the material meant that minor adjustments using hand tools could be made on-site to accommodate rivets and edges such as bench legs and fence lines.

The process was split into two stages; one side of the riverwalk was closed for installation, while the other remained open to little disruption. Once one side of the riverwalk was complete, the sides were switched.

The historic structure maintained its integrity with minimal disruption and solved all safety and aesthetic problems.

How Terra Firma can help

FRP is the perfect solution for inner city areas with high foot traffic. The lightweight yet durable and strong material and easy-to-install benefits make FRP the leading material for construction and civil work. With planning and measurements, each piece can be customisable to tackle any challenge.

If you’d like to know how composite materials could benefit your project, contact Terra Firma to discuss it.