Skip to main content

Transurban announces preferred contractor for NorthConnex

Melbourne-based toll-road operator Transurban Group has announced that the consortium Lend Lease Bouygues is set to design and build the Sydney, Australia, NorthConnex tunnel link between the M1 and M2 motorways in the city’s northwest. The nine kilometre, 80 km/h tolled link involves two motorway tunnels, built with a three lane capacity for future growth but initially marked for two lanes each way. It provides the missing link in the National Highway Network and offers a safe and more efficient way of
March 18, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Melbourne-based Toll-road operator 600 Transurban Group has announced that the consortium Lend Lease Bouygues is set to design and build the Sydney, Australia, NorthConnex tunnel link between the M1 and M2 motorways in the city’s northwest.

The nine kilometre, 80 km/h tolled link involves two motorway tunnels, built with a three lane capacity for future growth but initially marked for two lanes each way.  It provides the missing link in the National Highway Network and offers a safe and more efficient way of moving freight from Sydney’s north-west and upper north shore and connects the Sydney orbital motorway to the M1 Pacific Motorway, the Central Coast and the north.

The tunnel design features a clearance height of 5.3 metres, higher than any other tunnel to minimise the likelihood overhead impacts.

Transurban approached the New South Wales Government in 2012 under the Government’s unsolicited proposal regime to design, build, operate and finance the link. In May last year the proposal moved to stage three which involved negotiating and submitting a final binding offer. With the announcement the project moves into the planning approval stage with the public display of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

If approved work on NorthConnex would expect to begin in 2015 with the project open for use in 2019.

Transurban’s Chief Executive Officer, Scott Charlton, said: “We have gone through a unique and innovative competitive tender process to select Lend Lease Bouygues as the design and construction contractor. The twin tunnels will provide significant travel time savings for commuters and the freight network benefiting the NSW and Australian economies.”

The Australian and New South Wales governments will each invest as much as US$367 million, with Toll charges funding the rest, a statement from the state government said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Small toll agency adopts big city thinking
    December 5, 2014
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a novel option for new toll road authorities. While somewhat politically controversial, outsourcing has gained traction in the business world as a model worth investigating for its efficiency and cost saving benefits. Lean start-ups tend to employ independent contractors instead of full-time employees in an effort to remain flexible and avoid costs associated with pensions, retirement places, health insurance, office space and benefit packages.
  • Dynamic charging boosts electric vehicles’ potential
    December 16, 2014
    With an increasing need to use electric vehicles in city centres to reduce pollution, David Crawford looks at various solutions to power delivery. The UN’s September 2014 Climate Summit has added fresh momentum to the drive to increase urban electric vehicle (EV) takeup. It has launched the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative, which wants to see EVs accounting for 30% of all urban travel by 2030, and make cities worldwide more friendly to their use. Encouragingly, the plan is being well supported by commerci
  • Transport for New South Wales launches transport innovation program
    February 11, 2016
    The New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia is launching a 12 month program to uncover the trends and technologies that it claims will revolutionise the way the government and customers plan, build and use transport. Announcing the Future Transport program, NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said he was calling on the world's brightest tech minds to find the next big idea that would shake up transport in the state. Future Transport will kick off with a two-day summit
  • ITSWC 2020 - LA, here we come!
    November 26, 2019
    Planning for next year’s 27th ITS World Congress in Los Angeles is well under way. ITS America president Shailen Bhatt explains what visitors can expect from the 2020 event...