ACCIONA Samsung Bouygues JV completes 7.5km M4 and M8 link

acciona, NSW, Samsung Bouygues, sydney, WestConnex,

February 14, 2023

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The ACCIONA Samsung Bouygues Joint Venture (ASBJV) has delivered one of the final major components of WestConnex, opening two months ahead of schedule.

The 7.5-kilometre mega tunnels provide a critical new link between the M4 at Haberfield and the M8 at St Peters.

The 4-year, multi-billion dollar contract was delivered with an impeccable safety record and ahead of schedule, and it is a true testament to the team’s performance and outstanding success.

During the four years of the project, which began in August 2018, more than 12,000 people have had employment on the project, 40% from Sydney’s Western suburbs, the area that will benefit the most from the new motorway connections.

During the inauguration, ASBJV Project Director, Andrew Marsonet, highlighted the leadership capacity and skills of the team to meet the technical challenges, achieving a quality result with a price that was in line with the budget and delivered ahead of schedule. Andrew also praised the work of the technical, support and construction teams. The experienced tunnelling, mechanical and, electrical and commissioning workforce were dedicated to delivering exceptional results managing the hurdles of COVID lockdowns along the way.

ASBJV has invested more than $60m in Aboriginal participation over the project’s life, including education and employment, cultural awareness training, mentoring programs and the procurement of goods and services from Aboriginal businesses.

The Joint Venture has also invested in developing female participation in the construction sector, employing one of New South Wales’s most significant female workforce on a tunnelling project.

Of the more than 8.7 million tonnes of spoil removed from the excavation of the tunnel, 100% has been beneficially reused on other infrastructure sites in Sydney, another initiative that met the high sustainability targets applied throughout the project to address environmental and economic priorities.

ASBJV has won two major awards for a world first in sustainability. Working closely with engineering partners and contractors and benefiting from a created supply chain collaboration, the project team developed a high-performance shotcrete specification in the structural design of the tunnel’s permanent support.

The initiative won the JV, the American Shotcrete Association Project of the Year award, and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s Excellence in Economic Outcomes Award. The new shotcrete specification reduced carbon emissions by more than 33,000 of embodied carbon, shotcrete by 27,000m3 and reinforced steel fibres by 830 tonnes, creating a cost saving of $11m.

The development of the shotcrete is a legacy that the team can provide to the industry for future infrastructure developments.

The legacy initiative and learnings by the team can be taken onto other ACCIONA projects in the future, including the newly awarded contract to design and construct stage two of the Western Harbour Tunnel project.

Source: © 2023 ACCIONA

Image source: © 2023 ACCIONA

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