Spanish companies Dragados and Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras are among four groups vying for a concession to built Australia’s US$2.06bn airport link tunnel in Brisbane, Queensland.
A shortlist is to be drawn up by next month following expressions of interest in April.
The four JVs are:
• Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras with Dragados, both owned by Spain’s ACS Group
• BrisConnections, which comprises Thiess, John Holland and Macquarie Bank
• NorthConnect Motorway, comprising Baulderstone Hornibrook, Bilfinger Berger Civil, Babcock & Brown, Abigroup Limited, Hyder-SMEC, Coffey Geotechnics and Hassell
• Northern Motorway, led by Leighton Contractors and ABN AMRO Australia and involving Kumagai Gumi, Maunsell, GHD, EDAW, Woods Bagot and Golder Associates
The airport road link will be 6.7km long with a stretch of 5.7km to be built in twin bore tunnel, spaced 20m apart, under Lutwyche Road and the suburbs of Wooloowin and Clayfield. Each tube, to hold a three-lane highway, are expected to be bored by TBM driving at depths of 35m-50m. Portals will be built at Bowen Hills, Kedron and Clayfield. The highway will also include several cut-and-cover sections.
The state government hopes to start construction late 2008 for completion in 2012, and has carried out an EIA with assistance from a consultant JV of Sinclair Knight Merz and Connell Wagner.
The link will connect to the North-South Tunnel, which is currently being excavated by Leighton Contractors in association with Baulderstone Hornibrook, Bilfinger Berger Concessions and ABN AMRO Australia.
