McConnell Dowell signs contract to build Tasmania’s largest ever transport infrastructure project

new-bridgewater-bridge

mcconnell dowell, New Bridgewater Bridge, Tasmania,

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Work to build the New Bridgewater Bridge will start in coming months after a Design and Construct contract for the $786 million project was signed today.

Construction company McConnell Dowell, who was announced as the preferred contractor and awarded an Early Activities Agreement in December 2021, has spent the past six months further developing their chosen design and preparing to start work on what will be the state’s biggest transport infrastructure project.

McConnell Dowell CEO Scott Cummins said… 

“This is an exciting project for the people of Tasmania, and the McConnell Dowell team. Designing and constructing city-shaping infrastructure that improves people’s lives is the essence of our business. This project is a fantastic example of that. 

“We look forward to working with the Tasmanian government, local industry and the community to complete the missing link in the state’s national highway; and improve the safety, amenity and connectivity of the local area.” 

In December 2021, the Tasmanian Government announced McConnell Dowell as the preferred bidder to deliver the New Bridgewater Bridge and also increased the estimated cost of the project from $576 million to $786 million.

Construction will support around 830 jobs, including the creation of more than 200 new jobs for Tasmanians. The estimated investment of planned Tasmanian Government, local government and known private sector projects is more than $25 billion over the next decade.

The new four-lane bridge will fix the missing link in Tasmania’s National Highway, while also improving connections at Bridgewater and Granton and catering for cyclists and pedestrians with a safe shared path.

The plans for the new bridge are the result of extensive design work, planning and community engagement to find the best solution to meet the needs of the community now and into the future.

The project will remove the notorious bottleneck at the Granton roundabout, providing the 22,000 vehicles that use the bridge each day with free-flowing access to the Brooker Highway, Lyell Highway and Midland Highway.

A new ramp from Boyer Road onto the bridge will offer easy access for local traffic wanting to travel south, while Gunn Street will join Old Main Road under the new bridge to create a continuous connection with more open space.

On the southern side of the river, the journey from Hobart to New Norfolk will be uninterrupted, with the creation of a dedicated slip lane from the Brooker Highway onto the Lyell Highway.

Creating jobs and supporting Tasmanian industry is a key focus of the project, with a number of Tasmanian organisations being engaged to assist with the project.

Alongside upskilling Tasmanian workers, the project will create more than 200 new jobs for Tasmanians and will support more than 800 direct and indirect jobs.

The community will have an opportunity to view the designs before construction starts later in the year.

Source: McConnell Dowell

Source: Tasmanian Government

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