The Western Australian and Federal governments have both announced an additional $49 million of funding for the Edith Cowan University (ECU) campus construction, which forms part of the $1.69 billion Perth City Deal.
The Perth City Deal is a partnership between the Commonwealth Government, State Government and City of Perth which will aim to unlock economic benefits and opportunities for the Perth CBD.
The additional funding increases the value of the ECU project to $853 million – with the Australian Government investing a total of $294 million, the Western Australian Government $199 million, and ECU $360 million.
The project will bring Edith Cowan University’s Creative Industries, Business and Technology Campus into the CBD and is expected to draw more than 9200 students and staff in 2025.
The major construction contract for the new ECU campus has also been awarded to Western Australian builders Multiplex.
On another major milestone, a consortium made up of companies Civmec Construction and Engineering, Seymour Whyte Constructions and WSP Australia has been selected as the preferred proponent to construct the Swan River Bridge – another project under the Perth City Deal.
The new Swan River Bridge will become part of the Perth skyline across the river, providing better transport connects to and from the CBD. The new bridge will have dedicated pedestrian and cyclist lanes, providing safer access for the more than 1500 cyclists and 2000 pedestrians who use the path on the existing Causeway Bridge daily.
The Swan River Bridge is being jointly funded by Australian and Western Australian Governments on a 50:50 basis, with each providing an additional $25 million to the project, bringing the total project budget to $100 million.
Western Australian Minister for Transport and Planning Rita Saffioti said the new bridge would be six metres wide and significantly higher than the current Causeway Bridge, with dedicated pedestrian and cyclist lanes providing safer access for the more than 1,500 cyclists and 2,000 pedestrians who use the path on the existing Causeway Bridge daily.
“Civmec has delivered some of our iconic bridges, including the Matagarup Bridge and the Kids Bridge, next to the Perth Children’s Hospital,” she said.
“Set to become another iconic structure, the new Swan River Bridge will be fabricated locally in Henderson.”
The funding announcements for the ECU campus and Swan River Bridge takes the total value of the Perth City Deal to $1.69 billion.
As well as the new ECU campus and Swan River Bridge, the $1.69 billion Perth City Deal includes investment in Curtin University’s Historical Heart Cluster, investment in Perth’s cultural attractions, investment towards the celebration of Western Australia’s rich Aboriginal culture and history and the CBD Transport Plan, an investment to improve active and public transport accessibility and safety in the CBD.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Perth City Deal was already helping to transform the city.
“ECU project is a key to the Perth City Deal that would inject 7500 construction jobs and 2300 ongoing jobs into the city,” he said. “This injection into the Perth City Deal means boots on the ground and tradies on site even sooner, with major works expected to start later this year.”
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said the additional funding and contract award for the ECU campus paves the way for construction to begin.
“The economic impact of the development will also be significant, with the project estimated to provide a $1.5 billion boost to the WA economy over the next four years,” he said.
The ECU project is expected to be completed in late 2025.
Pending contract negotiations, the successful Alliance for construction of the Swan River Bridge is anticipated to be established over the coming months. Main Roads Western Australia will continue to work with the Alliance to ensure all of our project’s stakeholders remain informed and involved.
For more information on the Perth City Deal, click here.
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