Road repair packages go to tender

At a local, regional and state level, Queensland companies are being invited to tender on the road packages with more than enough work to go around. The roads will be rebuilt to modern standards using improved technology, thicker road pavement and often widening of the road surface and sealed shoulders to better withstand flooding and heavy rain.

Repeated cyclones, heavy rainfall and floods throughout 2010 and 2011 have taken a severe toll on the infrastructure of the Mackay Whitsundays region. Some of the road restoration works include:

• Bruce Highway, including 27 sites across 38kms of roadworks – at cost of $42.3m

• Peak Downs Highway, 31 sites across 46km between Nebo and Clermont – $38.5m

• Bowen Developmental Road, 17 sites across 24.08km, including just east of Collinsville – $26.4m

• Fitzroy Developmental Road, 16 sites across 14.8km including south of the Golden Mile Road intersection – $14m

• Suttor Developmental Road, 16 sites across 18.36km – $24.3m

• Marlborough Sarina Road, five sites across 19.54km – $22.3m

• Mackay-Eungella Road, 11 sites across 13.32km – $13.9m

• Gregory Developmental Road, three sites across 14.32km – $12m

The type of reconstruction work includes bitumen re-surfacing, stabilization, formation repairs, re-gravelling unsealed surfaces and pavement replacement.

Roadtek has recently won repair work under the program on Bowen Developmental Road, Collinsvale to Bowen, $10m; Fitzroy Developmental Road, Middlemount to Peak Downs Highway, $14m; Peak Downs Highway, near Clermont, $4.7m.

Queensland company, Shadforth’s Civil Engineering Contractors last month (June) won a $26m contract for work on 10 roads, including the Mackay-Eungella Road. Bridges have received another $230m funding with the completion of the new $42m Edmund Casey Bridge, $148m for the Forgan Bridge duplication nearing completion and $40m for the new Fursden Creek Bridge, yet to go to tender, but expected to start in late 2012 and finish in 2014.

Queensland-wide Golding Contractors, with GHD, won the contract for the design and construction of the duplication and replacement of the existing Forgan Bridge in Mackay. The project is a new 4-lane bridge, 485m in length over the Pioneer River to replace the existing 2-lane bridge, plus 1000m of roadworks and intersection upgrading. The works are in an environmentally sensitive area, and Golding’s scope of works has been extended to include management of the environmental approval process.