HDR, as part of a joint venture with Arup, has been selected to design the upgrade for the AUD514m ($377m), 14km flood-prone Bruce Highway coastal corridor in the Australian state of Queensland.The Bruce Highway passes through the Haughton river floodplain, where frequent floods result in the closure of the highway, affecting community access, tourism and the freight movement along the corridor.The longest recorded closure so far was nearly five days and the most recent closure was in March 2018.The project is part of the 10-year Bruce Highway Upgrade Programme, an AUD8.5bn ($6.2bn) programme to improve safety, flood resilience and capacity along the highway from Brisbane to Cairns.Design for the project is likely to take about a year and the project is expected to be completed in mid-2021.The project will be delivered through a collaborative Early Contractor Involvement contract. The Infrastructure Group, a joint venture of Bielby, BMD, JF Hull and Albem, will lead the construction.HDR’s work will include modelling one of the most complex floodplains in Australia, designing three bridge upgrades to make them taller and wider, designing grade-separated rail crossings and intersections, and developing an integrated roadway design that will combine hydraulics, structural and geotechnical elements while considering wetland impacts and biodiversity requirements.Earlier in July 2018, HDR won a five-year, $40m indefinite delivery contract for construction phase services from the US Army Corps of Engineers’ San Francisco District.Currently, HDR holds similar construction phase contracts supporting the military construction, civil works and inter-agency international services missions of the US Army Corps of Engineers throughout the US and overseas.HDR contract manager Lionel Zapata said: “This contract will allow us to leverage all of HDR’s technical resources and expertise to help the San Francisco District bring value to all of its customers. It also allows us to support other districts within USACE South Pacific Division.“HDR and our business partners provide the expertise to help facilitate execution of the construction program as well as bringing value to the clients USACE serves.“Our extensive services range from supporting USACE’s mission for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ major construction projects to helping USACE execute its military and civil works missions.”______________________________________________________________________________________________Image: The Haughton river bridge. Photo: courtesy of The State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads).
A consortium comprising John Holland, CPB Contractors and Aecom has been selected to deliver the AUD1bn ($743m) Rail Infrastructure Alliance (RIA) works package of the Metro Tunnel project in the Australian state of Victoria.
Bechtel, a company involved in project management, engineering, procurement and construction, has been selected by WSA as its delivery partner and project manager for the Western Sydney Airport, a $5.3bn greenfield facility in Badgerys Creek, New South Wales, Australia.
Adelaide Airport has appointed Australian construction firm Watpac as the contractor for the AUD165m ($123m) expansion of its main terminal to upgrade international arrivals and departures, and create more retail and dining options for domestic and international travellers.
The state government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia has selected LSB Joint Venture, comprising Lendlease Engineering, Samsung C&T and Bouygues Construction, to build the mainline tunnel of the M4-M5 WestConnex tunnel Link.
UK-based professional services company Turner & Townsend has been appointed by Transport for NSW as the managed service provider (MSP) for the Project Management Office for Sydney Metro City & Southwest and Metro West Final Business Case.
Salini Impregilo has achieved a milestone on the AUD1.86bn ($1.39bn) Forrestfield-Airport Link project in Perth, Australia, with the breakthroughs of two tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) at the site of the Airport Central Station.
Geotechnical contractor Keller Group has announced that its 50:50 joint venture with Intrafor (KIJV), part of Bouygues Construction, has been awarded an AUD200m ($150m) contract for work on the AUD6bn ($4.5bn) Metro Tunnel Project in Melbourne, Australia.
Work has begun on replacing five old bridges near Bangalow in the Byron Shire area in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Australia’s Federal and New South Wales (NSW) governments have signed a bilateral agreement, which facilitates the commencement of works on the multi-billion-dollar Inland Rail project in NSW.
IRDJV, a joint venture of WSP Australia and Mott MacDonald, has been awarded a contract by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) for the feasibility and design of the Illabo-Stockinbingal section of AUD9.3bn ($7.08bn) Melbourne-Brisbane Inland Rail.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced AUD5bn ($3.9bn) for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link that will connect the Central Business District (CBD) and the airport.
Work has begun on two major upgrades on the M1 Pacific Motorway at Beresfield and between the Kariong and Somersby interchanges in Australia.
Pacific Highway upgrade between Port Macquarie and Kempsey in Australia has been completed and the last 5km of dual carriageway on the Oxley Highway to Kundabung section is now open to traffic.
Construction began on the widening of Armadale Road in the city of Perth in Western Australia.
UK-based construction firm Laing O'Rourke has won a contract worth AUD955m ($746m) to transform Sydney’s busiest station into the gateway to the new Sydney Metro network.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and eight Western Sydney councils have agreed on a 20-year Western Sydney City Deal – a plan designed to deliver long-term prosperity for the region.
The John Holland Group has won a contract worth AUD225m ($174.4m) from the Sunshine Coast Council for the expansion of Sunshine Coast Airport in Queensland, Australia.
The state government of Queensland, Australia has given environmental clearance for an AUD120m ($92.6m) project to upgrade the Port of Cairns in Queensland.
The Queensland government has shortlisted five groups to deliver two main work packages in the A$5.4bn ($4.2bn) Cross River Rail project in Australia.