WHEATBELT
WORKS AS A MAJOR FREIGHT ROUTE TO THE NORTH OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, THE GREAT NORTHERN HIGHWAY CARRIES SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST LOADS. WITH UPGRADES HAPPENING IN STAGES SINCE THE 1990S, ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE CATCHES UP ON THE LATEST WORKS.
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n the early 1990s Norm Fox, now Main Roads Program Director, sought funding for a road he described as narrow, winding and unsafe. This road is known as the Great Northern Highway and spans from Perth up to Wyndham, in the north of Western Australia. In 1990, Mr. Fox was the Regional Manager at Main Roads for the Wheatbelt North region. Following Mr. Fox’s push for upgrades a series of works were completed throughout the 1990s. In the mid to late 2000s another large program of works was undertaken which saw bridges constructed, widening and general road upgrades along the route. The latest set of works began in 2014, and the section has nine major construction packages, seven of which are completed.
The remaining two packages, the Walebing and Wubin upgrades are set to be complete by late 2020. Finally, the Bindoon Bypass will be the last section of the road to be upgraded. This is currently in the planning stage. The Muchea to Wubin section of Great Northern Highway is 218 kilometres long and affects many stakeholders, transport operators, road users and adjacent landowners who, according to Mr. Fox, were all united by the desire for a better road. Main Roads has partnered with ARUP and Jacobs in an integrated team to undertake the planning, design and construction supervision of this section of highway. The project team was awarded the Australian Institute of Project Management – 2019 Project of the Year and the National Regional Project of the Year.
CONTRACTS WITH A DIFFERENCE The decision to split the work in to nine packages was to ensure work would be available to smaller contractors. “We wanted to make sure mid-tier contractors and smaller businesses would be able to tender for the works. This was to give back to Western Australian businesses,” Mr. Fox says. In a first for Main Roads, the contract for the Pithara section was based on a New Engineering Contract (NEC3) contract. NEC3 is a family of contracts which focuses on project management principles and practices within a relationship style contracting model. “NEC3 is a structured collaborative style of contracting, focused on early intervention and a shared resolution of problems. You can pick one of the six or so
The Great Northern Highway runs from Perth up to Wyndham. 16
ROADS AUGUST 2020
