McConnell Dowell Decmil Joint Venture (MCDDJV) with Major Roads Project Victoria won the Excellence in Environmental Outcomes Award for the Mordialloc Freeway Project (MFP) at the Infrastructure Sustainability Council Gala Awards 2021 held last night in Sydney. The awards celebrated sustainability best practices across Australia and New Zealand. 

Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) is the peak body for infrastructure sustainability, advocating for the delivery of cultural, social, economic and environmental benefits in all infrastructure projects. 

The MFP is a 9 km freeway link in Victoria, incorporating interchanges, bridges over wetlands and a shared user path. 

The project implemented a range of world-first sustainability initiatives in response to Victoria’s waste crisis and shortage of quarry materials, creating ‘Australia’s greenest freeway’. 

Thousands of tonnes of otherwise waste material were used to construct noise walls, asphalt pavements, concrete reinforcing mesh and stormwater drainage pipes. This shift to sustainable consumption of materials achieved a 27% reduction in embodied energy.

The judges acknowledged the significant effort in innovating new technologies to divert waste away from landfill, saying…

“The focus on reduced truck trips, local sourcing and recycling is a powerful way to improve industry practices. 

“The MFP demonstrates the potential cost benefits of improvised sustainability practices while supporting development and scale-up of local industry.”