Three consortiums; RiverCity Motorway, BrisConnections and the Brisbane Express Motorway Consortium have been shortlisted to tender for the US$790M north-south tunnel in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The north-south link is the first in a serices of five tunnels that form the US$3.8bn TransApex network. The groups, who are to submit tenders in December, were the only ventures to apply to Brisbane city council by the 18 May deadline.
RiverCity Motorway comprises main contractors Leighton Contractors, Baulderstone Hornibrook and Bilfinger+Berger Concessions, plus consultants Maunsell, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Golders and EDAW Gillespies and financer, ABN Amro. BrisConnections includes contractors Thiess, John Holland and Hochtief and banker, Macquarie Bank. Brisbane Express Motorway Consortium involves Bouygues and Egis of France and Australian contractor McConnell Dowell and Egis.
Interestingly, the tender contest will put different sections of Leighton Holdings in competition with each other. Leighton Contractors, which is leading the RiverCity Motorway, is the flagship company within Leighton Holdings. But BrisConnections partners, Thiess and John Holland are also members of Leighton Holdings, while Germany’s Hochtief is the Leighton group’s controlling shareholder with a stake of about 53 per cent.
Transurban, which operates Melbourne’s CityLink tollway, made a belated attempt to join one of the groups after the deadline close by writing a letter to Brisbane City Council, seeking the authority’s discretion in being allowed to join a venture. Early indications are that it would fail in its attempt. Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman was unconcerned that just three groups would now be invited to tender. “I want the best, most competitive bid,¨ he said.
The 4.7km north-south tunnel, with a diameter of about 12m, is likely to be built using TBMs and roadheaders, according to the consulting engineers joint venture, SKM Connell Wagner, which prepared an environmental impact statement.. Work is scheduled to get underweay in 2006 for completion in 2008.
The city council will spend about US$46M acquiring property, especially at the tunnel portals at Woolloongabba, Kangaroo Point and Bowen Hills. The north-south tunnel will run from the Pacific Motorway at Woolloongabba to the Inner City Bypass at Bowen Hills.
About US$16M is also earmarked towards the cost of carrying out prefeasiblity studies for the other four tunnels planned under the TransApex network. These include the second tunnel, the US$761M, 5km airport link, which will connect with Brisbane’s northern business district. Mayor Newman has already indicated that the successful contractor for the north-south link could negotiate a contract for this second tunnel.The other three tunnels comprise the Hale Street link, the Northern Link and the East-West Link.
