A deceptively complex pedestrian crossing in New South Wales has become a showcase for how councils can deliver safe, compliant and efficient active transport infrastructure – thanks in part to clever use of civil design software.
Set in the heart of the quiet coastal township of Karuah, the new raised pedestrian crossing on Tarean Road might seem like a straightforward piece of local infrastructure.
However, for the design team at Port Stephens Council, it became a surprisingly intricate challenge – one that required technical skill, regulatory awareness, and the right tools to bring it all together.
Located on a former section of the Pacific Highway, Tarean Road carries significant traffic, including heavy vehicles. The crossing site links Karuah’s main residential area with essential services and the public school, forming a critical part of the community’s walking network. For pedestrians, the original crossing was neither adequate nor safe.
“It was identified as a trouble spot for pedestrians,” said Steve Startin, Civil Design Team Leader at Port Stephens Council.
“It’s a B-double approved detour for the Pacific Highway, and even though it’s now more residential, you still have heavy vehicle traffic going through at times.”
Recognising the risks, Council secured funding through the NSW Government’s Get NSW Active: Active Travel to School program, aiming to deliver a raised pedestrian crossing that improves safety, visibility, and walkability for local residents – particularly children heading to school.
Beyond the brief
Although modest in size, the design had layers of complexity. The existing site was hemmed in by physical constraints, including footpaths, driveways, shopfronts and stormwater infrastructure.
“There was an existing crossing there at the time, but it wasn’t to standard or appropriate for this location,” said Startin.
“The project involved not just raising the crossing but integrating it with blisters, kerb ramps, a median, and improving lighting and sightlines.”
Trainee Civil Designer, Dylan Pennicott, who took the lead on the design, said the project pushed him to apply both his formal training and his practical experience.
“Even though it’s a smaller project, it was quite intricate,” he said.
“There were lots of vertical geometry challenges with kerb and gutter on both sides, blisters, ramps – everything had to be carefully graded and compliant.”
A key challenge was ensuring accessibility under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) while working within tight space constraints. The solution required precise grading and geometry across multiple elements.
“We had to be very strict on the DDA compliance,” Startin explained.
“There were constraints on all four sides of the site. Being able to interrogate and grade things accurately using the software meant we could deliver a design that was compliant and safe.”
The role of Civil Site Design
For the Council’s civil design team, Autodesk-based Civil Site Design (CSD) software proved instrumental. Australian made, it’s been the in-house platform of choice for nearly a decade, chosen for its accessibility, adaptability and ability to integrate with various data formats.
“It’s our defined delivery software,” said Startin.
“We get all our inputs from the survey team, and from there it’s minimal startup. A couple of lines and you’re up and running.”
What stood out for the team was Civil Site Design’s balance of speed and sophistication.
It allows experienced designers to create and adjust alignments, surfaces and grading on the fly, while also supporting newcomers with its visual modelling capabilities.
“For someone new to the industry, like Dylan, the model viewer is massive,” said Startin.
“It allows you to see what the design is doing in 3D, which makes a huge difference for understanding and communicating the design.”
Dylan agreed: “That was probably the biggest help. You can visually see what’s happening – if a triangle’s cutting through a code or string, you know something’s gone wrong. You can backtrack and fix it quickly.”
Training and support
Dylan undertook formal training in rural road reconstruction through Civil Survey Solutions, but much of his learning came from working through design challenges on the job, supported by his team and online resources.
“I watched a lot of the YouTube series and webinars,” he said.
“There’s one on variations that gets quite in-depth – that was really helpful.”
While the software is tailored to road design, Council has found it can be readily adapted for other urban infrastructure, including footpaths, crossings, and car parks.
“We’ve had to adapt it to suit these non-road projects,” said Startin.
“You’re using constraints – like a consistent 2.5 per cent crossfall – so you know everything will tie in properly. We know the standards, and we can use the program to implement and test against them.”
He said the software’s ability to work with constraints, along with its CAD outputs and 3D modelling, has made it especially valuable for Council’s varied workload.
“Another one of our team is currently using it on a car park project. It’s flexible enough that you can make it work on all kinds of infrastructure.”
Training the next generation
The Karuah crossing was one of Dylan’s first live projects.
Having come from a construction background, he brought a real-world perspective to the design process – and Civil Site Design helped him translate that into deliverable documentation.
“I knew how it would be constructed in the real world,” he said.
“So I could twist that with what I was learning in the software to make the design work.”
He credits the software’s intuitive interface and Council’s support network for helping him hit the ground running.
“Within the software, I think the most important skill I picked up was just knowing there are different ways to achieve the same result,” he said.
“Sometimes a grading string is all you need. Other times you need a profile string. You start to understand what works best where.”
The broader team played a key role in supporting his learning curve.
“With the knowledge in-house, we were able to set Dylan up and let him take the lead,” said Startin.
Results and reflections
The project, completed in April 2025, delivered a safe, accessible and visually improved crossing for the Karuah community.
The new crossing is now used daily by pedestrians, including schoolchildren and shoppers.
“One of the key actions of the Karuah Place Plan is to provide more pedestrian crossing opportunities and making it easier to cross the road – which this crossing has allowed. It’s doing its job,” said Startin.
For the team, it was a valuable learning and development experience, not just in design and delivery, but in extracting the full value from a flexible software platform.
“The CAD output is extremely easy for services and long sections,” said Dylan.
“That, and the model viewer, are probably the most satisfying parts to use. You click a button and everything lines up – very satisfying.”
As for future projects, the Council plans to keep using and adapting Civil Site Design across its civil works program.
For information, visit civilsitedesign.com.au or portstephens.nsw.gov.au
