Strong interest to operate and maintain WestConnex
21 Sep 2016
Three companies have been invited to tender for the operation and maintenance of Australia's largest transport infrastructure project, WestConnex, ahead of the opening of the first stage in 2017. The decision to go to the market so early is to ensure necessary planning and service delivery arrangements are in place prior to opening. The applicants shortlisted to tender for the operations and maintenance contract are: - Lend Lease Services Pty Ltd - LS NewCo Pty Ltd - Fulton Hogan Egis Joint Venture The operations and maintenance contract will be awarded late 2015 to ensure pre-operation services can start in 2016 in conjunction with the M4 Widening, from Parramatta to Homebush, due to open to traffic in 2017. The contract will also support the finalisation of the detailed designs for the M4 East and the New M5, ensuring operational requirements for tunnel support systems and long-term maintenance requirements are taken into consideration. The operations and maintenance contractor will have input into the design for the M4 East and New M5 operational requirements including drainage, lighting, ventilation systems, fire systems, safety systems, communications and radio systems to ensure an integrated approach to running the motorway operations. The contractor will also provide systems to manage incidents and traffic flow. Having one contractor oversee the operations and maintenance for WestConnex enables savings by removing the duplication of separate contractors managing different sections of the motorway. The M4 East from Homebush to Haberfield and the New M5 from Beverly Hills to St Peters are scheduled to be completed in 2019, while the M4-M5 Link which will join the M4 and M5 corridors together is due to open in 2023. WestConnex will connect Sydney's west and south-west with the CBD, airport and port precincts. Work is currently underway on the M4 Widening and the M5-King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade, which is the precursor to the New M5.
