The latest milestone has been hit in the Australian Pacific Highway upgrade project, as the road connecting two of Australia’s largest cities, Sydney and Brisbane, partially opens. The latest work forms part of the 105km Pacific Highway upgrade between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.
In a project jointly funded by the NSW and Australian government, the $550 million joint venture between Ferrovial Agroman and Acciona sees the design and build of 19.5km of new dual-carriageway road as well as bridges and interchanges along the route.
One of the more challenging aspects of the project was the successfully completed bridge over the Nambucca river, a bridge of 850m in length that included 21 spans. With U-Girders 42m in size cast in a precast facility purposely built as part of the project, these U-Girders are the first of their kind to be implemented on an Australian Pacific Highway project.
More than 80% of the workforce was formed from a local communities in Macksville, the Nambucca Valley, and its surrounding suburbs, and with an excellent safety performance from the start, there were 2.5m hours worked without a lost time incident in 2016 – a new record for the Pacific Highway Projects.
Ignacio Clopes, International Director Europe Asia Australia, Ferrovial Agroman, said:
“The partial opening of the highway in New South Wales marks a significant step, further establishing our presence in the Australian market. Ferrovial’s presence on the continent has strengthened since this first major project was awarded to the firm in 2015. We look forward to continuing to deliver these milestones safely, and delivering value for all stakeholders concerned.”Guillermo Ripado, Operations Director for Ferrovial Agroman Australia said:
“This is a great milestone for the Pacific Highway upgrade and we are extremely happy having been part of the team that made it possible. I’d like to congratulate the whole RMS and Ferrovial Agroman team for this achievement and encourage them to continue the good work until the full opening is achieved”.2017 saw the project recognised as an ABA100 winner of the Australian Business Awards (5 Awards) for Business Innovation and Sustainability. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey, and the Federal Member Luke Hartsuyker formally opened the road at an event that provided members of the public with an opportunity to walk across the Nambucca River bridge.
