www.insideconstruction.com.au In 2017, engineering students came together to construct a scaled down version of Brisbane’s Story Bridge - a local and prominent icon. Pictured is the original Story Bridge, which used cantilever construction, with steel erected by rail-mounted stiff leg derricks. More on page 16. (Image credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, negative 168343).
$55B pipeline of infrastructure investments INFRASTRUCTURE Australia has identified a $55 billion pipeline of infrastructure investments in its latest Infrastructure Priority List released at the end of March. Based on the Australian Infrastructure Audit and more than 500 submissions from governments, stakeholder groups and the community, the Infrastructure Priority List is the authoritative list of nationally-significant infrastructure investments Australia needs over the next 15 years. For the first time, the Priority List was also published alongside an interactive map that provides an up-to-date view of the nationally-significant investments Australia needs to meet its future infrastructure challenges. “In the 10 years since Infrastructure
Australia was formed, the Priority List has helped establish a longer-term view of our collective needs as a nation - one that enables our leaders to look beyond elections and budgetary cycles and make evidence-based investment decisions,” said Infrastructure Australia chair, Julieanne Alroe. “In this latest update to the Priority List, we have identified more than $55 billion worth of potential nationshaping infrastructure investments in our cities and regions, including six High Priority Projects and six Priority Projects. In addition, there are a further 24 High Priority Initiatives and 60 Priority Initiatives.” Reflecting the demands of a growing population, Australia’s cities and public transport needs are a major focus of the revised Priority List.
“New investment-ready projects like the $1 billion Brisbane Metro and the $800 million Beerburrum to Nambour rail upgrade in South East Queensland have been prioritised because of their potential to deliver national productivity gains,” Alroe said. “We have also added new initiatives to improve rail network capacity in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to meet unprecedented demand in major capital cities.” The Priority List identifies a number of additional opportunities to improve connectivity between capitals and neighbouring cities. This includes improvements to rail capacity on the Melbourne-Geelong and Brisbane-Gold Coast rail lines, as well as rail upgrades on lines from Sydney to the regional centres of Newcastle and Wollongong.
IN THIS ISSUE MAJOR PROJECTS Gateway Upgrade North addresses challenges DEMOLITION A tale of control and precision TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS A future for autonomous vehicles? STATE INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT Sparks of recovery for WA
ISSUE 2 – APRIL/MAY 2018
THE CIVIL CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING MAGAZINE