The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing traverses between two regional landscape typologies; the lower flatter agricultural plains of the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers and the elevated western downs extending inland from Toowoomba. The project corridor transects various plant communities, some of significant value and under threat. The project presents the challenge of integrating major infrastructure into this landscape including rehabilitation of major cut and fill features, to mitigate potential impacts including:

• fragmentation and reduction in size of plant communities and fauna habitats through project related clearing;
• severance of important riparian corridors and disruption at creek crossings; and
• weed spread through nutrient enrichment of watercourses and the generation of new edges within vegetation communities.

The proposed landscape, revegetation and urban design has been developed in close consideration of the engineering and environmental disciplines to ensure an integrated response to the high level impacts and associated mitigation requirements. Firstly, driven by the refinement of the route alignment to minimise impacts, including minimisation of cut and fill, thereby reducing the project footprint and landscape and visual impacts and subsequently through the implementation of the project LRUD design principles and detailed design resolution in the context of whole of life operations, maintenance and costs.