Skip to main content

GRAA focuses on winning project profile: Brisbane Airport Link, Northern Busway & Airport

The revolutionary AUD$4.8 billion Airport Link has delivered a landmark infrastructure project for Australia, tackling traffic congestion, enhancing the busway network and removing an infamous traffic bottleneck through an innovative and inspired design. The Airport Link in Brisbane, Australia included three separate projects – the Northern Busway (a 3km two-way dedicated busway), the Airport Roundabout Upgrade and the AirportlinkM7 (a 6.7km toll road including 5.2km of tunnel). Together, they represent the
May 19, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Parsons Brinckerhoff and Arup joint venture won the 2013 GRAA for Design
RSSThe revolutionary AUD$4.8 billion Airport Link has delivered a landmark infrastructure project for Australia, tackling traffic congestion, enhancing the busway network and removing an infamous traffic bottleneck through an innovative and inspired design.

The Airport Link in Brisbane, Australia included three separate projects – the Northern Busway (a 3km two-way dedicated busway), the Airport Roundabout Upgrade and the AirportlinkM7 (a 6.7km toll road including 5.2km of tunnel). Together, they represent the largest single investment in transport infrastructure ever undertaken in Australia. The project was delivered by the 2642 Thiess 4755 John Holland (TJH) joint venture with 2693 Parsons Brinckerhoff and 1419 Arup joint venture as the lead design partner, for the Queensland Government-appointed 2641 BrisConnections.

Parsons Brinckerhoff and Arup joined forces – as PBA – to provide technical input into the tender and to deliver the detailed design and construction phase services support. PBA engaged more than 1,000 staff, who worked more than one million hours from start-up in 2006 through to completion in July 2012. During that time PBA delivered more than 18,000 ‘for construction’ drawings in 600 packages with a Total of 3,600 submission cycles.

Aside from 15km of tunnel, the scheme boasts 25 bridges, 15 cut and cover structures, 8.5km of roadway, bicycle paths, 3.5ha of new parklands, more than one million new plants, three ventilation stations, and an operations control building.

The scale and complexity of the project, along with very tight constraints imposed by a highly-populated environment and the need to keep roads open, presented a formidable design challenge. These challenges required a range of technical innovations including underground road interchanges in caverns, the largest of which was 28m wide, and an innovative multilevel flyover with a fast-diamond interchange.

PBA’s scope of works included tunnel, road, geotechnical, electrical and mechanical, fire and life safety, structural and civil works design, as well as coordinating the urban design via subcontracted resources.

2014 GRAA Applications
The Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) is a one-of-a-kind competition to recognise innovative road projects and exemplary people that place the road industry at the forefront of worldwide social and economic development.
ENTRIES SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JUNE 30, 2014. More information at: www.irfnews.org/graa


For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • India’s key tunnel project attracting new bidding
    June 5, 2017
    India’s massive Zojila Tunnel project in Jammu & Kashmir is attracting new bidding. The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) is asking for new bids for the project. A number of Indian and international firms are expected to enter bids, with some planning join ventures for the work, which is expected to cost US$1.55 billion.
  • Study finding options for Leeds Bradford Airport connection
    April 8, 2014
    Plans are in hand for a new link to Leeds Bradford International Airport in the UK. WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff have been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) to carry out a study that will examine connectivity options to Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA). A Treasury report, Investing in Britain’s Future, has identified LBIA as one of six road congestion hotspots that required further feasibility studies. The study team undertake research to identify and appraise potential intervention
  • ASEAN Investors’ Brief: A Dynamic hub for Road Programs
    August 22, 2016
    If the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formed a single economic entity, they would represent the 7th largest economy in the world, with an expectation to be the 4th largest by 2050 on current growth patterns. It is a region with much unrealised potential and favourable demographic trends. It also lies at the heart of several regional trade initiatives that will significantly boost infrastructure investments in the region, such as China’s 'One Belt, One Road' programme
  • New training programmes for industry
    July 5, 2016
    Confirming its role as the industry’s most trusted brand in continuing education, IRF has unveiled 14 new courses for mid- to senior-level to road managers. IRF's 2016 Training Catalogue significantly expands the offering of executive courses to include emerging topics such as network safety diagnosis, climate-resilient road infrastructure, electronic toll collection and smart city mobility applications. Each of the new courses not only provides the most relevant, up-to-date information and best practices a