Another contract awarded for NSW Western Harbour Tunnel project

New South Wales’ Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link development has reached a new milestone with the award of a major contract that will support project delivery. 

Transport for NSW has awarded a $450 million contract to Ventia for Asset Management Services for both Western Harbour Tunnel and Sydney Harbour Tunnel. 

The contract will have an initial term of 15 years with two 10-year extension options, and it will cover asset management, operations as well as maintenance services for both tunnels. 

“The contract will create a more integrated road network and support quick, safe and reliable trips for motorists. 

“Efficient and sustainable solutions will be put in place across both road tunnels, benefiting motorists and taxpayers for years to come,” Transport for NSW Deputy Secretary Camilla Drover said. 

For Western Harbour Tunnel, Ventia will provide several services during the procurement, design and construction stages of the project including whole of life design review, lifecycle cost modelling along with recommendations on reliability, availability, maintainability and supportability of the asset. 

On the other hand, the company will work with Transport for NSW to facilitate the effective transition of Sydney Harbour Tunnel’s existing operations prior to the project becoming operational starting 1st September 2022. 

“Ventia has provided services to Transport for over 20 years, across a range of projects. We will leverage our capabilities and existing tunnel experience to redefine service excellence on these two key essential infrastructure assets,” Ventia Group CEO Dean Banks said. 

The Western Harbour Tunnel project will deliver a second road tunnel under Sydney Harbour, connecting the WestConnex Rozelle Interchange with the Warringah Freeway in North Sydney. 

Key features of the project include: 

• Approximately 6.5-kilometre-long twin tunnels with three lanes each 
• Tunnels to be mostly driven, with the crossing of Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton being immersed tubes 
• Tunnel-to-tunnel connection to the M4-M5 Link near Rozelle Interchange 
• Future connection options to City West Link at Rozelle and to Warringah Freeway, Falcon Street and Berry Street in North Sydney 
• Ancillary infrastructure to enable ongoing operation of the tunnel 

The project is going to be delivered in two packages – the Southern Tunnelling Works and Northern Tunnelling Works packages. 

The Southern Tunnelling Works package will include the construction of a 1.7-kilometre section of the twin tunnels, running between Rozelle and Birchgrove. 

In January of this year, the contract to deliver this package of works was awarded to the John Holland and CPB Contractors joint venture. You can read more about the Southern Tunnelling Works package contract award here. 

The second works package, Northern Tunnelling Works, will deliver the northern section of the twin tunnels from Birchgrove, through Sydney Harbour and onto Northern Sydney. This package will involve marine works as well as all the tunnel fit-out. 

Also in January of this year, Transport for NSW announced the shortlisted tenderers for the Northern Tunnelling Works package. The list includes the joint venture between Acciona Construction Australia, Bouygues Construction Australia and Vinci Construction Grands Project as well as the John Holland, CPB Contractors and UGL Engineering joint venture. Read more about the shortlist here. 

Major construction on the Western Harbour Tunnel project is scheduled to commence this year and be completed in 2027. 

Source: Transport for NSW; Ventia; Australia New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline (1, 2); Infrastructure Magazine; NSW Government – Western Harbour Tunnel