John Holland Pty Ltd has been awarded the first construction contract for the $1.12 billion NorthLink WA project. In officially announcing the contract today, Minister for Major Projects Paul Fletcher said the contract was a significant step in realising the vision of NorthLink WA.
"The Tonkin Highway is a vital link for regional traffic movements to commercial and industrial areas such as Malaga, Kewdale, Perth Airport and the Perth CBD, and through to the port and Kwinana industrial areas," Mr Fletcher said.
"The southern section from Guildford Road to Reid Highway will deliver new intersections of Collier Road and Morley Drive.
"A flyover to take Benara Road over Tonkin Highway and upgrades of Tonkin Highway north of Guildford Road to freeway standard of six lanes are also included.
"Construction is expected to begin in the middle of this year."
A flyover will be provided to take Benara Road over Tonkin Highway. Benara Road will no longer be directly connected to Tonkin Highway.
A large oval shaped roundabout is proposed at this location, with Tonkin Highway raised to go over Morley Drive. A roundabout has been selected as this type of junction has been proven to reduce the numbers of serious crashes. Roundabout interchanges have been used successfully both in the Eastern States and overseas.
Collier Road will be realigned and raised to go over Tonkin Highway. This will require local road modifications including road closures at Spencer Street. Access to this area will be provided by new traffic signals at Collier Road's junction with Wright Street.
John Holland announced the signed contract on January 11:
The Southern Section from Guildford Road to Reid Highway will deliver new bridges and interchanges at the intersections of Collier Road and Morley Drive, a flyover to take Benara Road over Tonkin Highway and upgrades to Tonkin Highway north of Guildford Road.
Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Palin, said John Holland had industry leading expertise in highway upgrade projects and was proud to be partnering with Main Roads in delivering this important infrastructure for the local community.
“This project will deliver key benefits for the community by increasing road capacity to reduce congestion on local roads and improve journey times. It will also provide significant safety and productivity benefits for Perth,”
he said.
“Tonkin Highway carries more than 70,000 vehicles per day and the upgrade from signalised intersections to freeway style interchanges will improve traffic flows.”
Construction work on Tonkin Highway is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2016.
The Australian Government is contributing $894 million, and the Western Australian Government $223 million, to the NorthLink WA project.
If you'd like to know more about what distinguished John Holland's winning tender from other bidding companies, check out our free eBook: Offer Evaluation Methods which highlights the different methods used by Government evaluation officers to assess and compare tender submissions.