McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce that the Tasmanian Department of State Growth have selected McConnell Dowell as preferred contractor for the Design and Construction of the New Bridgewater Bridge.

This iconic project will replace the existing lift span bridge built in the 1940s, and provide a new modern contemporary bridge spanning 1 km over the River Derwent.

McConnell Dowell’s chosen design features a new, four lane bridge downstream of the existing bridge including enhanced interchanges at Granton and Bridgewater, a dedicated shared pathway for cyclists and pedestrians and a navigation height matching the Bowen Bridge.

The upgrade will benefit the 22,000 people that travel across the bridge each day, including local residents, commuters and freight vehicles and will fix the missing link in Tasmania’s national highway. 

Together with our design partners Jacobs, Tony Gee and Partners, Tonkin and Taylor and Wood Marsh, Pitt & Sherry and construction partners, bridge specialist VSL we are proud to be providing an innovative design and a Tasmanian focused delivery strategy - teaming with key local constructors Batchelor, BridgePro, Hazel Brothers and VEC to ensure maximum value add for Tasmania whilst drawing on best international experience and practice.

Dr. David Sims, General Manager for McConnell Dowell across Victoria and Tasmania, said “We really focussed on collaborating with the local market, making sure that the project we designed could be delivered with local contractors in cooperation with some specialists from the mainland. We are looking to engaging with the local community to deliver this iconic project for Tasmania.”

The new Bridgewater Bridge will cut travel times for Tasmanian commuters, create construction jobs and improve freight routes, boosting the local economy thanks to the Tasmanian Government’s focus on local involvement.

Major construction starts mid-2022 following the receipt of a planning permit, and the award of the Design and Construct contract.

For more information and to view the chosen design and 3D flythrough animation, visit www.bridgewaterbridge.tas.gov.au. 

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has engaged McConnell Dowell to complete the first phase of designs and early delivery activities for Inland Rail in Victoria.

The contract includes design and preparatory works at four sites on the existing North East Rail Line to enable Inland Rail double-stacked freight trains to run between Beveridge and Albury. Inland Rail is transforming the fortunes of regional Australia. In Victoria, the project is expected to support hundreds of jobs, and provide an $8 billion boost in Gross State Product from construction and direct operation of the rail line.

McConnell Dowell will conduct site investigations to inform the preliminary and detailed designs for utilities, signaling, track slews and the update of rail structures at the Seymour-Avenel Road bridge in Seymour, Murray Valley Highway in Barnawartha North, Wangaratta Station Precinct, Wangaratta and Beaconsfield Parade precinct in Glenrowan.

ARTC Inland Rail Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering congratulated McConnell Dowell on being awarded the contract and said bringing them on board was a crucial step for Australia’s largest infrastructure project.

“This is a significant milestone in the delivery of this important project,” Mrs Pickering said.“It shows that the Australian Rail Track Corporation is getting on with delivering Inland Rail and bringing the Australian Government’s vision of the project to life.“We’ve selected McConnell Dowell based on their experience delivering major projects including multi-million rail, bridges, railway stations and roads both in Australia and New Zealand, and globally.”

Mrs Pickering said construction will start mid-next year, after all planning approvals have been received.“McConnell Dowell and their main design subcontractor Aurecon will now oversee the detailed design of new bridges, train station modifications and track lowering at these initial sites in Victoria, while we await planning, heritage and environmental approvals,” she said.“They will also be undertaking early delivery activities to get ready for construction, which includes minor civil works, overhead wiring and signal gantry installation for the sites.“ARTC remains committed to meaningful and respectful consultation with the communities in North East Victoria as we continue through this phase of early delivery activities.“McConnell Dowell will now begin progressing detailed design for these sites in early 2022, which will include further consultation by ARTC with the community and stakeholders for the tranche one sites.“

Project Director for McConnell Dowell Tom Foley said the company was thrilled to be part of Inland Rail.

“Working collaboratively with ARTC and Aurecon has been hugely beneficial, helping develop innovative design solutions and create better value for money for this important section of the Inland Rail project,” she said.“As we complete the designs and prepare for construction, we’ll be looking for every opportunity to involve local people and businesses in the project, to maximise the economic and social benefits for communities along the route.”

McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce that Auckland Council Healthy Waters will once again partner with McConnell Dowell to deliver their newest stormwater project in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. 

The Corban Reserve Stormwater Upgrade Project is to install a new 713m stormwater pipeline under Border Road in West Auckland using a 2100m in diameter micro–Tunnel Boring Machine (m-TBM).

Once completed, the new pipeline will reduce flooding in the area, increase capacity within the network to allow for future growth, and protect and enhance both Opanuku and Waitaro streams. It will also prevent landfill gases and leachate entering the stormwater network, making it safer to maintain.

McConnell Dowell has a proud history constructing and delivering stormwater pipelines in New Zealand and around the world, using innovative trenchless methodologies. Earlier this year we successfully delivered the St Marys Bay Area Water Quality Improvement Project on time and on budget in partnership with Auckland Council Healthy Waters. The same team will now bring their expertise and winning strategies to this project to ensure that we once again deliver a successful outcome.

The micro-Tunnel Boring Machine (m-TBM) used on St Marys Bay will be upcycled for this project to tunnel from Imperial Place to Border Road. This is an environmentally complex build with residents, local schools, native wildlife and fauna, and park users all neighbouring the three worksites. The project team has carefully designed the methodology and construction programme to take into account the intricate ecological and man-made surroundings.

Work beginning early next year will include:

• Piling works for both the inlet and outlet shafts
• Excavation works for both shafts
• Mid-chamber shaft and structure works
• Tunnelling under Border Road
• Inlet and outlet structure works
• Waitaro Stream works

This project is expected to be completed in 2023.

McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce that Wellington Water has awarded the Barber Grove to Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant Pipe Duplication to McConnell Dowell. 

The existing concrete pipeline conveys wastewater from 90 per cent of Hutt Valley residents and is over 50 years old and highly vulnerable to earthquakes. 

Our solution involves a mixture of trenchless technology (55 per cent) and open trenches to install the pipeline. This method was chosen because it is the most efficient and will cause the least possible disruption to the road network, local residents and businesses.

This project located in New Zealand’s North Island, involves the installation of a new 1.2km, 1m diameter polyethylene pressurised wastewater pipeline from Barber Grove Pump Station to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant.

This is an exciting project for the McConnell Dowell team who continue to build on an extensive track record constructing pipelines using trenchless methodologies in New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Australia and South East Asia.

McConnell Dowell Managing Director for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, Fraser Wyllie says; “We are excited to work with our new client Wellington Water in the delivery of the new pipeline which will service 90 per cent of the residents in Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, improve water quality to cater to the region’s growth and provide a robust solution in the event of earthquakes”. 

The project consists of: 

• 1.2km long by 1m diameter polyethylene pressurised wastewater pipeline installation under 3 – 9m deep below high-volume traffic routes
• 55% of the alignment installed via Micro tunnelling
• Four shafts along Randwick Road for access to the tunnel

The work will commence in February 2022,  with  completion  due mid-2023.