Brisbane Airport runway, Bruce Highway flood upgrade, bag top industry awards

Brisbane Airport’s New Parallel Runway was selected for the 2021 Project of the Year Award.

Brisbane Airport Corporation’s New Parallel Runway and the Bruce Highway – Haughton River floodplain upgrade have taken out the 2021 and 2022 Infrastructure Project of the Year Awards at the Annual Infrastructure Oration and National Infrastructure Awards in Melbourne.

The National Infrastructure Awards are convened by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and celebrate excellence across leadership and major projects. The Project of the Year is the most prestigious of the Awards.

“The New Parallel Runway and Haughton River floodplain upgrade define project excellence – delivering lasting outcomes beyond the usual metrics of time, cost, and quality,” said Infrastructure Partnerships Australia Chief Executive Adrian Dwyer.

The Judging Panel selected Brisbane Airport’s New Parallel Runway for the 2021 Project of the Year Award for its scale and complexity, recognising the challenges of construction in a live airport environment. Skyway Joint Venture, comprising BMD Constructions and CPB Contractors were award recipients.

“The New Parallel Runway was one of the largest aviation construction projects ever undertaken in Australia and set a new benchmark for design, efficiency, and engineering,” said Mr Dwyer.

Completed in April 2020 after over eight years of construction at a total cost of $1.1 billion, the New Parallel Runway is recognised as a key driver in the long term growth of Brisbane and Queensland by creating jobs, opportunities for new destinations and a greater choice of airlines. It has been estimated by 2035 the runway will lead to the creation of 7,800 new jobs and contribute an additional $5 billion in annual economic benefit to the region.

The Bruce Highway, Haughton River floodplain upgrade received the 2022 Project of the Year Award in recognition of the project’s positive impact on flood resilience and safety and for its collaborative partnership between stakeholders. The Award was dedicated to Albem Operations, Arup Group, Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Bielby Holdings, BMD Constructions, HDR, JF Hull Holdings, and the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

The $514.3 million Haughton River floodplain upgrade project includes safety and flood resilience upgrades to 13.5 kilometres of the Bruce Highway at Giru (midway between Ayr and Townsville). The project scope includes construction of five bridges and two cane rail overpasses, intersection upgrades and installation of wide centreline treatments.

Construction for the project commenced in April 2019 and traffic was progressively switched onto the new Bruce Highway from mid to late-2021. Ancillary works will be ongoing until mid-2022

Mr Dwyer said the 2022 Project of the Year Award winner was an exemplar in sustainable design and resilient infrastructure.

“The highly effective working relationship developed during the Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade not only led to significant time and cost savings, but also helped to deliver multiple innovations that will leave a lasting legacy for future projects.

“The teams behind the new parallel runway and the Haughton River floodplain upgrade projects have truly advanced the frontier of excellence in infrastructure and rightly deserve these prestigious accolades,” said Mr Dwyer.

Infrastructure Partnerships Australia is the nation’s infrastructure think tank, providing independent policy research focused on excellence in social and economic infrastructure.

A full list of award finalists and winners from the combined 2021/22 National Infrastructure Awards can be found here.