Vibration Monitoring – Ruse Park Pedestrian Bridge, Bankstown

Confluence Environmental was engaged to provide construction vibration monitoring during the installation of screw piles for a new pedestrian bridge at Ruse Park, Bankstown, NSW.

Description of Services

The monitoring was undertaken during the installation of three screw piles on the western side of the bridge — a piling activity with the potential to generate ground-borne vibration in close proximity to a Sydney Water DN300 relined sewer and associated infrastructure.

Vibration monitors were installed at strategic locations representing the sensitive receptors, positioned above the relined sewer and offset from the nearest piling works. Monitoring was carried out in accordance with the vibration thresholds set out in the Sydney Water Sewerage Environmental Assessment (SEA) Guidelines, with defined alert, action and alarm levels to guide the safe continuation of construction activities.

Specific Challenges

The key challenge was managing the risk of ground-borne vibration to nearby Sydney Water infrastructure during piling, without disrupting the construction programme. By establishing clear, tiered action levels — alert, action and alarm — against the adopted Sydney Water criteria, the monitoring program gave the project team a defined framework for continuing works safely while ensuring any exceedance would be identified and escalated appropriately. The result was assurance that piling activities could proceed without unacceptable risk to the adjacent sewer or surrounding infrastructure.