Skip to main content

UGL wins Australia’s NorthConnex M&E services contract

Engineering services provider UGL has signed a four-year deal with the Lend Lease Bouygues joint venture that is building the NorthConnex motorway in Sydney, Australia. The US$329 million contract is for the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the electrical, mechanical, communication, fire and control systems needed for the project’s 9km twinned tolled tunnel. UGL provides outsourced engineering, asset management and maintenance services to rail, transport, power, resources, water an
September 7, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Engineering services provider UGL has signed a four-year deal with the Lend Lease 979 Bouygues joint venture that is building the NorthConnex motorway in Sydney, Australia.

The US$329 million contract is for the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the electrical, mechanical, communication, fire and control systems needed for the project’s 9km twinned tolled tunnel.

UGL provides outsourced engineering, asset management and maintenance services to rail, transport, power, resources, water and defence sectors. The group has revenue in excess of US$1.6 billion, employing over 8,000 people, including subcontractors, across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.

The tunnels will have two lanes and a breakdown lane in each direction, as well as a height clearance of 5.3m with a speed limit of 80 km/h. The project will cost in the region of $3 billion in all and will be Australia’s longest road tunnel when the link opens to traffic. The construction budget of $2.65 billion is in addition to land and project delivery costs, is funded through toll charges with a contribution from the NSW and federal governments of up to $405 million each.

It was announced this summer that 325 Sandvik is supplying tunnelling machinery for the project.

Federal assistant infrastructure minister Jamie Briggs and NSW roads minister Duncan Gay gave the project the green light only in January, ending a decade of consideration and planning.

NorthConnex will join the M1 Pacific Highway at Wahroonga to the Hills M2 Motorway at Pennant Hills. It is a joint project between the M7 Westlink Shareholders, 891 Transurban, the Australian federal and the New South Wales state governments.

When complete, it will link Sydney's north to the Orbital network and form part of the National Highway route.

Lend Lease is globally operating Australian construction company and Bouygues is one of the largest construction companies in the world, with its headquarters located in France. Their 50-50 joint venture was formed originally to construct the East West Link project in Melbourne and NorthConnex. The group was the successful bidder on both projects, but following the cancellation of the East West Link project the focus switched to NorthConnex.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Sandvik wins tunneling machine deal in Australia
    July 6, 2015
    Sandvik is supplying a major order of tunnelling machinery for use on a construction project in Australia. This deal is for a major tunnelling project in Sydney. The NSW Government, Transurban and the M7 Westlink Shareholders (the Project Sponsors) are in process to build, operate and maintain a tolled motorway linking the M1 Pacific Motorway at Wahroonga to the Hills M2 Motorway at West Pennant Hills. The new route will be called NorthConnex.
  • Sandvik roadheaders working on highway project in Australia
    November 20, 2015
    Much of the excavation work for the North Connex highway tunnel project in Sydney, Australia will be carried out by roadheaders from Sandvik. In all, six MT720s, one MT620 and six MT520 machines will work on the project, in addition to six road headers from other suppliers. The work is being carried out by the Lend Lease–Bouygues Joint Venture (LLB JV) and is constructing a strategically important highway. The project is being sponsored by the NSW Government, Transurban and the M7 Westlink Shareholders.
  • Lend Lease & Bouygues preferred tenderer for NorthConnex Motorway, Sydney
    March 25, 2014
    Bouygues Construction of France and Lend Lease Group (Lend Lease) of Australia have become preferred tenderer to design and build the US$2.71 billion (AUD 3 billion) NorthConnex motorway in Sydney. Comprising twin 9km tunnels that will connect the southern end of the M1 Motorway at Wahroonga to the Hills M2 Motorway at its Pennant Hills Road interchange, the NorthConnex motorway is pending for planning approval and finalisation of contract terms. Transurban and its partners in Westlink M7 said the projec
  • New design for Sydney’s WestConnex motorway project third stage
    November 14, 2016
    Sydney’s proposed WestConnex motorway will be wider than planned to accommodate four instead of three lanes in each direction, according to media reports. The changes are part of a revamp of the third and final stage of the ambitious project in the capital city of Australia’s eastern New South Wales state. Some exit and entry ramps will also be scrapped but the overall cost of just under US$5.3 billion for the third stage remains unchanged, reported the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. The projects