Project: Linking monitoring and control equipment in a road tunnel

The city of Brisbane’s 6.8 km long Clem Jones Tunnel, known as ‘CLEM 7’, is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever to be undertaken in the state of Queensland. Built as a solution to Brisbane’s inner-city traffic gridlock, the tunnel has been built under the Brisbane River and connects the north- and south-bound traffic, has five traffic connection points, and a sixth connection to the Airport Link is planned for completion in 2012.

Promoted as one of Australia’s safest tunnels, CLEM 7’s range of safety features and systems in the tunnel was designed to provide the safest driving environment possible. Due to the large scope and scale of the project, the CLEM 7 tunnel required a vast amount of communications and control cabling to be installed to connect the extensive communications and traffic management infrastructure.

More than 250 cameras are positioned at various locations in the tunnel and surrounding areas; and these are monitored 24 hours a day, seven says a week. Should a traffic accident occur anywhere within the tunnel, the cameras will immediately be able to provide accurate monitoring of the incident, which, in turn, will assist in quick responses to vehicle accidents or breakdowns. In addition, playback of the footage may help determine the cause of the accidents.

The individually controlled electronic signage, cameras, traffic signals and messaging are operated by up to 40 technicians from the Tollway Control Centre. Located at the northern end of the tunnel complex, the interior of the control centre is similar to something you would more likely see in a futuristic sci-fi movie, with hundreds of visual aids and computer controls.

In order to make the cameras and directional and variable speed signs operable, sophisticated high-bandwidth communications cables were needed to transmit and receive signals from the control centre and the tunnel. UGL Infrastructure, the mechanical and electrical subcontractor engaged to carry out the installation of the cabling infrastructure and communications services, recruited communications infrastructure and cabling specialist Madison Technologies to supply all of the required copper and optic fibre cables. Madison Technologies had worked with UGL Infrastructure on several projects in the past, including the Sydney Lane Cove Tunnel; and its portfolio of cables deployed throughout traffic management and control systems for most of the major arterial connection roads in South East Queensland and across Australia has helped build its reputation as a company that delivers solutions on time and within budget.

The project involved liaising with UGL Infrastructure to determine the cabling needs for the tunnel. This was a lengthy process and, as plans changed, so did the cabling infrastructure requirement. A state-of-the-art cabling system was designed, enabling continuity of communications traffic for signalling, speed signs, warnings and other forms of electronic messaging without interruption.

Equal to 23 times the length of the tunnel, the optical fibre cable installed in CLEM 7 also needed to be brought to the surface to allow access by the Department of Transport and Main Roads for inspection and testing. In addition to supplying all the cabling, Madison Technologies supplied all of the required connectivity and jointing products, along with specialised tooling to provide a total end-to-end solution which ensured the integrity of the entire cabling system.

According to the Managing Director of Madison Technologies, David Redfern, the CLEM 7 project created the opportunity to introduce a Swiss-made product to Australia: “The R&M security level-2 socket had never been used in Australia for this type of application. The security feature of the socket ensures that the cables cannot be switched over, therefore guaranteeing that a whole system crash cannot transpire.”

Clem Jones, a former Lord Mayor of Brisbane after whom the landmark tunnel is named, was the pioneer and a visionary who transformed Brisbane from a sleepy country town into a modern vibrant city through the deployment of essential infrastructure.

Acknowledging similarities in communications infrastructure requirements, Redfern added: “We are on the cusp of a communications infrastructure explosion in Australia and Madison Technologies is well placed to participate at all levels.”