Pacific Highway Upgrade: Warrell Creek - Nambucca Heads

CURRENT STATUS

The Warrell Creek to Nambucca Heads Pacific Highway Upgrade in NSW opened the final six kilometre section on 29th June, 2018. The project is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments, and has been delivered by an ACCIONA and Ferrovial joint venture.

The milestone represents the highly successful delivery of essential infrastructure for NSW by the two companies, both of which are significant investors in the state and in Australia.

The June 29 event follows the opening of the initial 14km of road in December last year. The project is part of the larger Warrell Creek to Urunga Pacific Highway upgrade to improve road safety and transport efficiency and relieve seasonal traffic congestion.

The 20km project was delivered under a Design and Construct Contract managed by NSW Roads and Maritime Services.

Since activities began, the project has been a substantial driver of economic activity in the region, with over 650 people working on construction at its peak and more than 5,000 inductions onto site. Numerous local subcontractors have also been involved, creating valuable revenue streams and employment opportunities.

Fernando Fajardo, Managing Director for ACCIONA's Infrastructure division in Australia, New Zealand & South East Asia, said: "This is a great day for the project, and a credit to the team’s hard work and dedication. We appreciate the ongoing support of the local community, and are proud to have played a central role in delivering this project for New South Wales."

"It just shows how companies with substantial technical expertise and extensive local and international experience can create infrastructure of lasting value in Australia."

The newly-opened section includes a rail underpass and new interchange at Warrell Creek. Overall, the project involved building 15 bridges, including a major new 850-metre bridge over the Nambucca River, two new interchanges and access ramps at North Macksville. The project has also delivered a high standard of safety, achieving 2,000,000 hours with no Lost Time Injuries.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Location: Macksville, New South Wales.
• Contract type: Design and construction.
• Infrastructure: Design and construction of 19.5 km of new dual carriageway road.
• Project value: AU $550 million.
• Year of project completion: mid 2018

KEY ASPECTS

The upgrade between Warrell Creek and Nambucca Heads involved:

• Design and construction of 19.5km of new dual carriageway road.
• Two grade separated interchanges at Warrell Creek and Bald Hill Road, south of Macksville.
• Longitudinal bridges across Upper Warrell Creek, Williamson Creek, Warrell Creek, Nambucca River floodplain and Nambucca River.
• Overbridges on Rosewood Road, Albert Drive, Scotts Heads Quarry access road, Bald Hill Road, Old Coast Road South, Mattick Road and Old Coast Road North and an underpass at Cockburns Lane.
• Pacifico collaborated with Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) to develop and implement innovative and efficient design solutions which will reduce the overall construction and operations budget.

BENEFITS

• Creation of up to 650 full time jobs during construction.
• 80% of the workforce from nearby locations.
• Reduction of travel time across the range by up to 40 minutes for heavy commercial vehicles.
• Increased freight efficiency.
• Improved road and driver safety.
• Improved liveability for the Macksville and Nambucca Valley areas.