2010 FINALISTS

Karuah to Bulahdelah - Pacific Highway Upgrade, NSW
Abigroup Contractors Pty Ltd

The $257 million Karuah to Bulahdelah Pacific Highway upgrade involved the construction of 23 kms of separated dual carriageway fundamentally along its existing alignment, including new intersections, two new rest areas and a total of seven twin-bridges over various creek crossings.

Due to the proximity to the existing Pacific Highway the project required construction in two stages to accommodate the challenges of keeping the existing highway fully active during construction.

Along the length of the alignment, the existing and new highway overlaid each other at a number of locations, requiring strategic planning of the staging of these interface works and traffic switches. The execution of these multiple traffic switches, planned many months in advance, was seamless on each occasion.

The project involved 2,400,000 cubic metres of earthworks along with mobile crushing plants established at various locations, peaking at 12 plants on site.

Environmental challenges to the project included the protection of Myall Lakes National Park and Myall Lakes’ Ramsar Wetland.