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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.

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