Brisbane's Gateway project recognised for excellence

Brisbane’s Gateway upgrade project has won Australia’s best infrastructure project of the year at the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia’s (IPA) National Infrastructure Awards in Sydney last week.

The $2.12 billion project beat finalists from NSW and South Australia to win the award which recognising the.

It is the result of a partnership between the Leighton-Abigroup Joint Venture, the Queensland Government and Queensland Motorways.

"This is Australia's biggest road and bridge project and it's now been crowned its best,” Main Road Minister Craig Wallace said. 

“It was delivered on budget and an incredible seven months ahead of schedule,” he said.

Wallace says the Sir Leo Hielscher bridges and the more than 20 kilometres of new and upgraded motorway have been a ‘shot in the arm’ for Queensland’s economy, creating over 5000 jobs during construction.

Queensland Motorway Limited estimates the project has added more than $600 million to Gross Regional Product (GRP), including over $400 million to employment.

Queensland Motorways Acting Chief Executive Officer John Gardiner says the project had been delivered quickly and without major impacts.

"Queensland Motorways and our construction partners have maintained the existing network capacity throughout construction, rebuilding the Gateway Motorway day and night, to ensure that this vital artery continued to flow every day," he said.

With the project team beating its deadlines and budgets, the Queensland Government fast-tracked a final four kilometre extension to the project scope which is expected to be completed within the original project timeframe of mid-2011.

This award is the second for the project, having won an Engineers Australia State Engineering Excellence Award in 2006 for its procurement phase.

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