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

  • Major tunnel project planned for Malaysia
    March 4, 2013
    A large tunnel project is being planned for Malaysia’s Penang State. This project has been awarded to a joint venture, Consortium Zenith, formed by Chinese and Malaysian partners. The 6.5km Gurney Drive-Bagan Ajam undersea tunnel will form the centrepiece of the project. However the work will also include the construction of a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah with Teluk Bahang, the 4.6km Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass and the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu byp
  • Three consortia to make final bids for Gordie Howe International Bridge
    January 25, 2016
    The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority has chosen three final bidders for the six-lane Gordie Howe International Bridge to be built between the Canadian city of Windsor and Detroit in the US state of Michigan. The estimated US$2 billion toll bridge, to be built under a public private partnership, is expected to be finished by 2020.
  • The Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway
    September 19, 2021
    The 8.5km CCLEx, as it is known, will include the longest and tallest bridge in the Philippines when the structure is finished next year
  • Book now … the early booking deadline for PPRS 2015 in Paris has been extended
    November 13, 2014
    Book now … the first Pavement Preservation &-Recycling (World) Summit (PPRS 2015), due to take place in the Palais des Congrès in Paris from February 22 2015 to February 25 2015, has extended its deadline for early bird registration November 15 2014.