Our growing population continues to place pressure on our existing infrastructure. Over the next 15 years, NSW will require infrastructure to support 40 per cent more train trips, 30 per cent more car trips and 31 per cent more households.
The current government has an ambitious infrastructure investment program to embrace these needs. Some of the critical projects being delivered in coming years include the Pacific Highway upgrade, NorthConnex, WestConnex and the Western Sydney Infrastructure Program package of work. Within this context, Roads and Maritime Services must provide clear leadership to ensure the successful delivery of infrastructure on time, and on budget.
Increasingly the state’s projects and programs will be achieved via new delivery models. These new models will require us to be flexible and adaptable and able to ensure network and customer commitments are delivered.
One example in this space is the program office which is responsible for delivering Roads and Maritime’s multi-billion dollar upgrade of the Pacific Highway. As a major initiative of the federal and NSW governments, the program office is not only responsible for the 657km Pacific Highway upgrade program between Hexham and the Queensland border, but is also leading the wave of major infrastructure projects in NSW, with an equally strong focus on delivery and leaving a positive legacy. A clear benefit of the program office is that it provides a single point of contact for the general public and key stakeholders while also offering an integrated and collaborative office tasked with developing and delivering the upgrade program.
In order to realise Roads and Maritime’s vision of ‘driving a better highway upgrade’, the program office has adopted a delivery partner model. This model is based on the approach used to oversee construction of infrastructure for the London Olympics and supports collaboration and innovation by bringing businesses, workers, consumers and suppliers together. It encourages the best ideas and solutions from the private sector while also drawing on Roads and Maritime’s knowledge to ensure better engineering and design, customer outcomes and public value.
Using this model, the delivery partner, Pacific Complete (comprising Laing O’Rourke and Parsons Brinkerhoff) will work with the Pacific Highway Office to oversee the project and handle multiple contracts for professional services and building the $4.36 billion upgrade, which involves the duplication of around 155 kilometres of road to a four-lane divided highway starting about six kilometres north of Woolgoolga and finishing around six kilometres south of Ballina. Major work is already under way on the first two sections of the upgrade from Woolgoolga to Halfway Creek and Halfway Creek to Glenugie.
The Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway program is on track to be opened by 2020.
Photo: Kempsey bypass community day walk on bridge