U/C» AirportLink Tunnel + Northern Busway [Bris Connections]

[SoulVision]

Awesome Smashme, thanks for those!

For a winning bid by mid year and construction commencing late this year. Completion in 2012. It will be interesting to see the differences in designs, if any between these three consortiums. I think the NSBT's "canopy" and general quality is fantastic. Hopefully something similar should come for AirportLink.

Brisbane truly needs this project, and in my opinion its more vital than the NSBT.

[SoulVision]

Well, the consortium has been announced.. just a matter of waiting for the Media to update.

Bligh to announce Airport Link builder
May 19, 2008 - 5:14AM
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh will today unveil the preferred bidder for Australia's biggest public-private partnership.

Three groups have submitted bids for two major road tunnel projects - the $2.5 billion, 7km Airport Link toll road and the $777 million Windsor to Kedron section of the Northern Busway.

The three groups bidding for the projects are: BrisConnections (Macquarie Capital Group, Thiess, John Holland), NorthConnect Motorway (Baulderstone Hornibrook, Abigroup, Bilfinger Berger Civil, Babcock & Brown) and Northern Motorway (Leighton Contractors, ABN AMRO Australia).

An evaluation team has been working since December last year to assess the bids, based on engineering design, traffic benefits, environmental outcomes, community outcomes and value-for-money.

The Airport Link underground toll road will be Australia's biggest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project.

The same contractor will also design and build the Windsor to Kedron section of the $777 million state-funded Northern Busway, before handing it back to the state to operate and maintain.

The contract is expected to be finalised in September this year, with both projects due to be completed in 2012.

Both projects are being managed by City North Infrastructure, a wholly-owned Queensland government company.

Ms Bligh will make the announcement at 9.20am today.

AAP

[SoulVision]

Airport Link builder announced
May 19, 2008 - 10:31AM


The BrisConnections alliance of Macquarie Capital Group, Thiess and John Holland has won the right to build Australia's largest road infrastructure project - Airport Link, the next section of the Northern Busway and a new flyover road to fix the gridlocked airport roundabout.

The awarding of the job to BrisConnections means an extra 35 properties will be resumed to make way for the projects, the State Government said. It brings to 626 the number of homes and businesses resumed.

"We've already acquired more than half of the properties we need for the projects," Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas said.

"But the improvements of the winning design mean we have to acquire some extra properties."

Airport Link - the most complex road and tunnel engineering feat in Queensland's history - will cost more than $3.4 billion to build. However, a private-public partnership deal means it will cost tax payers just $47 million.

In total, the three projects will cost $4.8 billion, including land costs, of which the State will contribute $1.5 billion instead of the $2.37 billion which the state had budgeted for.

Mr Lucas said all of the newly affected properties were inside the study corridor, which had been investigated since 2005.

"The owners of these homes and businesses have been informed today and I know this has come as a blow to them as they initially thought they were not affected," Mr Lucas said.

"People and businesses do not have to relocate straight away and will generally have more than six months to find alternative accommodation."

The additional properties include 25 residential properties comprising 16 in Kedron (nine houses, eight units and a vacant block of land), five in Windsor, three in Lutwyche and one in Clayfield.

There are also three residential properties (one in Kedron and two in Clayfield) where only part of the land is being resumed.

Only six of the residential properties are owner-occupied.

Six commercial properties - five in Windsor and one in Kedron - are being resumed along with part of a commercial property in Herston.

Because Airport Link and the Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) will be mostly underground, 384 below-ground titles will also be required, including 238 properties not previously affected. The below-ground titles of 165 properties which were required under the original design will no longer be needed.

[SoulVision]

Some images released by Bris Connections: I love the public art and night time features.



















Maps:

Airportlink





Northern Busway:



Web site here.

[Hirvam.it]

I saw the video on the News last night about this. Looks very expensive. Maybe if they nocked a Billion of, it could be put to good use by fixing ALL of regional Queensland's highways/Main roads.