Australian Building and Construction Commissioner John Lloyd has congratulated the builders of the New Perth Bunbury Highway (NPBH) for delivering Western Australia’s largest road infrastructure project ahead of time and on budget.
The Federal Government funded part of the 70.5kms of dual carriageway. Contractors and subcontractors must comply with the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry (National Code) and the Australian Government Implementation Guidelines for the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry (Guidelines) to tender for Federally-funded work. The ABCC is responsible for monitoring compliance with the National Code.
“This project is an excellent example of what can be achieved by following the best practice principles contained in the National Code,” Mr Lloyd said.
“With contractor, workforce and union working in partnership excellent results, such as this, can be attained.
“The Western Australian community now enjoy improved efficiency and better access to the state’s road network – three months earlier than planned.”
The project was completed by The Southern Gateway Alliance - made up of Leighton Contractors, GHD, WA Limestone and Main Roads WA.
The ABCC conducted a National Code inspection of the project on 14 February 2008 and a further three follow-up site visits during the life of the project.
“Leighton Contractors demonstrated a clear understanding of and appreciation for the National Code and maintained a co-operative relationship with the ABCC,” Mr Lloyd said.
“There was no time lost to industrial disputes on the New Perth Bunbury Highway which undoubtedly contributed to the project’s success.
“I encourage other contractors and subcontractors to follow the lead of Southern Gateway Alliance and boost their prospects by becoming compliant with the National Code.”
To find out more about the National Code, call the ABCC hotline on 1800 003 338 or visit the website www.abcc.gov.au.
New Perth Bunbury Highway snapshot:
Southern Gateway Alliance, made up of Leighton Contractors, GHD, WA Limestone and Main Roads WA, was formed in September 2006 to design, construct and deliver the NPBH.
Construction commenced in December 2006.
The project was completed on 20 September 2009, three months ahead of the 31 December 2009 contract end date.
Construction of the NPBH required more than 3.5 million man hours.
There was no time lost to industrial disputes or injury on the project.
The NPBH includes:
- 70.5 kilometres of dual carriageway;
- six interchanges and 10 intersections;
- 19 bridges;
- 32 kilometres of principal shared path for pedestrians and cyclists;
- seven pedestrian underpasses at the Safety Bay Road, Karnup Road and Paganoni Road, Lakes Road and Pinjarra Road interchanges;
- nine fauna underpasses at various locations throughout the alignment;
- the use of five borrow pits to source sand and limestone required for the project;
- more than 12 million tonnes of sand, 1.3 million of limestone and almost one million of crushed rock/gravel;
- almost 27,000 cubic metres of concrete;
- 821 piles and 146 beams for the bridges;
- more than 22 kilometres of drainage and
- around 21 kilometres of noise walls.
For more information, go to http://www.sgalliance.com.au/index.html
The National Code
The National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry (National Code) was introduced in
1997 to establish minimum standards of behaviour on construction sites that contractors and subcontractors must meet to be eligible for Australian Government funded construction work.
The Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (ABCC) is responsible for ensuring construction sites comply with the workplace relations aspects of the National Code.
The Australian Government Implementation Guidelines for the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry provide further details on National Code compliance requirements.