Civil Works News, Contracts & Tenders, Earthmoving News, Victoria

Contracts awarded for Victoria’s biggest ever freeway overhauls

The two biggest freeway overhauls in Victoria’s history are a step closer with contracts awarded for the $5.7 billion Eastern Freeway overhaul and the $3.8 billion M80 Ring Road Upgrade.

Nexus – made up of Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction Pty Ltd, Symal Infrastructure Pty Ltd, WSP Australia Pty Ltd, and Arcadis Australia Pacific Pty Ltd – has been appointed to deliver the first part of the overhaul of the Eastern Freeway from Burke to Tram Road.

AMA – made up of Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd, Aecom Australia Pty Ltd, and Maca Civil Pty Ltd – will deliver the M80 Ring Road Upgrade.

Premier Jacinta Allan said: “This project has been talked about for 60 years – we’re getting on and building the much-needed missing link because families in our growing state need it and jobs depend on it.”

Once complete, the North East Link is expected to take 15,000 trucks a day off local roads, save 35 minutes in travel time from the east to the outer north, and create 12,000 jobs.

Through six years of detailed design and planning work, significant additional scope has been added to the North East Link project in response to community feedback – including a longer tunnel, a major upgrade of the M80 Ring Road, better interchanges, and more public open space – all of which are expected to create thousands more jobs.

Acciona CEO Australia & New Zealand, Bede Noonan, said: “Acciona has been delivering sustainable infrastructure solutions across Australia for over 100 years and it is our privilege to continue to do so. We are proud to be working alongside MACA Civil and AECOM to deliver such a significant project for Victoria, one that will positively impact the state for future generations.”

Meanwhile, the new upgrade to the Eastern Freeway will include more than 45km of new lanes and new traffic management systems along the freeway – designed to deliver 11-minute travel time savings between Springvale Road and Hoddle Street, 10km of walking and cycling paths, and a rebuilt Koonung Creek Reserve.

New noise walls along the freeway will provide better protection for local homes, and the project will also deliver Melbourne’s first dedicated busway from Doncaster to the city, and an upgraded Park and Ride at Doncaster.

“We’re grateful for the Victorian Government and Major Road Projects Victoria’s confidence in our team to deliver such an important project,” said Laing O’Rourke Acting Managing Director, Mark Dimmock. “Together with our alliance partners, we’ve developed an innovative and integrated project solution that meets the Victorian Government’s objectives and will deliver great outcomes for the community.”

Symal Managing Director, Joe Bartolo, said: “We are excited to be at the forefront of constructing this exciting project. We are built for this – with strong capabilities to deliver big projects beyond expectations and build on our legacy of excellence.”

Josh Branton, Project Manager for Arcadis, said: “We take pride in joining an alliance dedicated to the Eastern Freeway’s first major upgrade since the 1990s. We are pleased to be working with our alliance partners and the Victorian Government to realise their sustainability goals and develop a major enhancement in the connectivity of Melbourne’s east.”

The awarding of key contracts followed an extensive competitive process with the world’s most experienced construction contractors.

 

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