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Infrastructure Australia published its landmark 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan in September, calling for a new wave of infrastructure reform to fully leverage the Australian Government’s historic $110 billion infrastructure spend and drive the national COVID-19 recovery. The 2021 Plan provides Australia’s infrastructure sector with a 15-year roadmap to drive economic growth, maintain and enhance our standard of living and improve the resilience and sustainability of our essential infrastructure. While this is the third in a series of practical roadmaps developed by Infrastructure Australia since 2013, Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive Romilly Madew said the timing of releasing the 2021 Plan was particularly critical. “The 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan is being delivered at a critical moment in our history. The pandemic, bushfires, drought, floods, and cyber-attacks have tested our collective resilience during recent years, while the most recent outbreaks have devastated our CBDs and put us at risk of a recession,” she said. “The 2021 Plan outlines the reforms that will underscore future Australian economic growth. It is focused on identifying the actions required to deliver infrastructure for a stronger Australia and support our national recovery from the still-unfolding COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms Madew said. The reform roadmap outlined in the 2021 Plan reflects an industry consensus that was developed in close collaboration with governments, industry and communities. As part of this, Infrastructure Australia completed a comprehensive engagement program that targeted more than 6,500 community members and industry stakeholders across Australia’s cities and regions. The 2021 Plan includes Waste and Social Infrastructure for the first time, alongside Energy, Transport, Telecommunications, and Water. It also focuses on three cross-cutting key themes Place (Cities, Regions, Rural and Remote Areas, and Northern Australia), Sustainability and Resilience, and the infrastructure Industry. The 2021 Plan provides Infrastructure Australia’s reform pathway to respond to the 180 infrastructure challenges and opportunities identified in the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit. Infrastructure Australia will work collaboratively alongside government, industry, and the community to support the implementation of reforms needed in the infrastructure sector. “The challenge of progressing the reforms outlined in the 2021 Plan is a shared one – that is why we stand ready to partner with the Commonwealth, states and territories, local government and industry to support the implementation of reform,” Ms Madew said. “While the Australian Government will respond to the 2021 Plan, many of the actions across water, transport, energy, waste and social infrastructure require action from state and territory or local government. Lasting reform will require increased collaboration.”
The 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan provides the infrastructure sector with a 15-year roadmap.
NEXT STEPS FOR MELBOURNE’S SUBURBAN RAIL LOOP
The Business and Investment Case released for Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) in August has outlined the delivery stages for the project, with the first section of the project to be delivered by 2035. The 90-kilometre rail line will be Victoria’s biggest ever transport investment, linking every major rail line from the Frankston line to the Werribee line, via Melbourne Airport. Three transport super hubs at Clayton, Broadmeadows and Sunshine will connect regional services to SRL, so passengers outside Melbourne won’t have to travel through the CBD. The first two sections of the project, ‘SRL East’ from Cheltenham to Box Hill and ‘SRL North’ from Box Hill to Melbourne Airport are the focus of the SRL Business and Investment Case. The third section from Melbourne Airport to Werribee is ‘SRL West’. This section is currently in the early stages of planning. Since SRL West will have a key interface with projects underway in Melbourne’s West, including Metro Tunnel, Melbourne Airport Rail, Geelong Fast Rail and the Western Rail Plan, it will be developed in parallel to deliver convenient cross suburb travel. With geotechnical investigations for SRL East underway, construction for the 26-kilometre underground twin tunnel and six underground stations will start in 2022. SRL East is expected to cost between $30 and $34.5 billion across 14 years, expected to be operational by 2035. Subject to further detailed technical design and market capacity, construction can commence on SRL North while SRL East is already under construction and expected to be completed by 2053. A cost estimate of SRL North project is not included in the assessment. Building SRL East and SRL North is expected to directly contribute up to $58.7 billion in economic, social and environmental benefits to Victoria, in addition to creating an additional 165,000 jobs in SRL Precincts. Victoria is expected to grow to 11.2 million people by 2056 and Greater Melbourne will reach around nine million people – a similar size to London today. SRL East and North will result in more than 230,000 extra public transport trips per day across Greater Melbourne by 2056. The rail line between Cheltenham and Melbourne Airport will carry more than 430,000 passengers daily when SRL North is complete, taking more than 600,000 car trips off our roads every day.
NEW MILESTONE FOR TASMANIA’S BRIDGEWATER BRIDGE
The Tasmanian and Federal Government’s new Bridgewater Bridge Project reached a major milestone in August, with two of Australia’s biggest construction companies submitting their tenders for the design and construction of the $576 million project. CPB Contractors and McConnell Dowell Constructors are both competing for the project, with the two working with the Tasmanian Government since December 2020 to develop Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) designs for the project. The reference design for the New Bridgewater Bridge, released in October last year, includes a new two-lane bridge and a second two lane bridge built on the alignment of the existing bridge, creating two lanes in each direction. This includes the removal of the existing bridge. The reference design is not the final design, and it is likely it will evolve throughout the competitive design process as contractors look for the most value for money solution, while considering community feedback. Each tenderer has provided a Tasmanian Industry Participation Plan as part of their priced tenders, meaning local jobs will be at the forefront of the project, Tasmania’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael Ferguson said. “I know that the local civil construction sector is very keen to be part of this oncein-a-generation project,” he said. “Involving Tasmanian businesses and suppliers to help build the project will ensure that the project delivers economic and social benefits to Tasmanian industry, businesses, jobs and the community.” The new Bridgewater Bridge is one of the biggest projects in Tasmanian history and part of the Hobart City Deal. With increased size and load capacity and a higher speed limit, the new bridge will strengthen Tasmania’s National Highway and boost productivity on one of the State’s most important freight routes. With major construction to start in mid-2022, work to date has focused on site investigations, including detailed geotechnical and survey work, environmental investigations and heritage assessments to inform a Major Project Impact Statement (MPIS). The MPIS will be submitted soon and will include a period of public exhibition later this year, with planning approval expected to be received early next year.
Concept design for the new Bridgewater Bridge. Image courtesy of Tasmanian Government.
TORRENS TO DARLINGTON EARLY WORKS GET UNDERWAY
More than $85 million in preparatory early works are now underway on the $9.9 billion Torrens to Darlington (T2D) project in Adelaide, the final piece of South Australia’s 78-kilometre North-South Corridor. The South Australian Government has selected a hybrid+ option to deliver the T2D project, using a combination of tunnels, lowered and ground-level motorways, as well as overpasses and underpasses at key intersections. The latest phase of work follows announcement of the planned southern laydown area in Tonsley-Clovelly Park, from where two tunnel-boring machines will launch to excavate the twin three-lane Southern Tunnels. The four-kilometre tunnel between Anzac Highway and Darlington is part of the stage one of the project. When complete, around 60 per cent of the T2D Project will be comprised of underground tunnels, with the second stage construction between the River Torrens and Anzac Highway including a second tunnel. Works have now started at the southern end of the project corridor around Clovelly Park and include the relocation of SA Power Networks (SAPN) cabling helping to clear the way for T2D’s Southern Tunnel launch site and staging area. Works to relocate Optus telecommunications services are also underway. Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said these early enabling works would help T2D’s planned main construction to proceed smoothly. “The Morrison Government has invested billions in the North-South Corridor as part of its record $110 billion infrastructure investment pipeline, which is helping to drive the nation’s world-leading economic recovery,” Minister Fletcher said. “When finished, this project will bypass 21 sets of traffic lights between the River Torrens and Darlington, with the journey taking on average 8 minutes, saving motorists up to 24 minutes in travel time.” South Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Corey Wingard, said getting this work done early will help ensure the Torrens to Darlington main construction, especially the first stage of tunnelling, can start as scheduled in 2023. “These works, which are part of a broader package of enabling works worth more than $85 million, are supporting 157 jobs and creating employment for more South Australians during the early phases of this important project,” Minister Wingard said. “This is the biggest road infrastructure project in our state’s history, and we’re proud to be getting on with delivering it in consultation with the community and for the benefit of the people of South Australia.”
Central Queensland is gearing up for its biggest infrastructure project to date, the $1 billion Rockhampton Ring Road. With an $800 million funding committed from the Federal Government and another $200 million from the Queensland Government, the project aims to deliver a new 14.7-kilometre ring road with a total of 17.4 kilometres of new road to be constructed. The ring road will link the Bruce Highway through Rockhampton extending from the Capricorn Highway (Nelson Street) to Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road/Bruce Highway intersection and will include a new crossing of the Fitzroy River at Pink Lily. The state’s Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the project would create extensive opportunities for local contractors, after many benefited from the Rockhampton Northern Access Upgrade, which is nearing completion. “Over the next four years the Palaszczuk Government is delivering a record $27.5 billion roads and transport plan which is creating 24,000 jobs and driving Queensland economic recovery from COVID-19,” Mr Bailey said. “A key part of this record investment is working with local contractors and suppliers to build a strong and diverse economy.” The Rockhampton Ring Road project is expected to support an average of 783 direct jobs. In comparison, the $194 million Rockhampton Northern Access Upgrade, which is almost finished, supported 261 direct jobs. Jacobs SMEC Design Joint Venture has been appointed to deliver the detailed design for the project, with the design already passed through community review. Construction for the project is expected to commence in 2022 and run until 2026.
INFRASTRUCTURE VICTORIA PRESENTS UPDATED 30-YEAR STRATEGY
Infrastructure Victoria has presented Victoria’s infrastructure strategy 2021–2051 to the Victorian Parliament. The strategy makes 94 recommendations worth around $100 billion, spanning many types of infrastructure and based on extensive evidence, innovative land use and transport modelling, research and consultation. To keep Melbourne moving as population grows, Infrastructure Victoria recommends the Victorian Government reconfigure the City Loop, extend suburban train lines in Melbourne’s growing outer north and west, prepare for the Outer Metropolitan Ring Road, and upgrade road technology systems to ensure safer, smoother travel. More detailed planning is recommended for Melbourne Metro 2, a city-shaping rail project that could also provide improved direct Geelong services. Launching the strategy at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Infrastructure Victoria CEO Michel Masson said while large built infrastructure projects will continue to be important as Melbourne grows, they should be integrated with land use planning to ensure multiple benefits. “Our final recommendations consider the medium to longer-term impacts of the global pandemic. Despite the current challenges, Victoria will continue to grow and transform,” Mr Masson said. “Our 30-year roadmap outlines how Victoria can make the most of the infrastructure we already have while ensuring new infrastructure, such as road and rail projects,
Infrastructure Victoria’s 30-year roadmap outlines how Victoria can adapt as population grows. deliver maximum value to areas where it is needed most.” More than half (56 per cent) of the recommendations in the strategy relate to making better use of Victoria’s existing infrastructure through policy development, legislative reform, and planning. Forty-one recommendations involve infrastructure capital investment by government and around a quarter of recommendations focus on developing regional Victoria. The 30-year infrastructure strategy is the second delivered by the advisory body since Infrastructure Victoria was established in 2015. The inaugural 2016 infrastructure strategy made 137 recommendations across nine sectors. The estimated capital cost profile for the recommendations average $3 billion a year to 2025, $8 billion a year to 2030 and $4 billion a year to 2035. Under legislation, the Victorian Government is required to respond to the strategy’s recommendations and deliver an integrated five-year infrastructure plan within 12 months. Infrastructure Victoria will then undertake a detailed analysis and report on the government’s progress in delivering on its plan each year in the advisory body’s annual report.
