Thiess Contractors Pty Ltd wins tender for extension of Kwinana Freeway

7/10/99

The removal of traffic lights and the extension of Kwinana Freeway to Safety Bay Road moved a major step closer today with the naming of Thiess Contractors Pty Ltd as the preferred tenderer for the $127 million project.
"Main Roads will now enter into detailed negotiations with the company with the view to signing a contract next month so that the project can be completed by November 2001," Transport Minister Murray Criddle said.
Thiess Constractors Pty Ltd was selected from a shortlist of three groups bidding for construction of five flyovers to replace traffic lights on the freeway, together with an 11km extension of the freeway from Thomas Road to Safety Bay Road.
The project, which will create 200 jobs, is part of a $355 million total upgrade of Kwinana Freeway which includes a dedicated bus transitway and duplication of the Narrows Bridge.
Mr Criddle said the design of the new flyovers would cater for the planned South West Metropolitan Railway which will be located in the centre of the freeway for a distance of 11km.
To accommodate the new urban rail line down the centre of the freeway the existing northbound carriageway between Thomas Road and Glen Iris will be relocated approximately 10m to the west.
The Minister said the project would also include construction of a dual carriageway on Safety Bay Road from the end of the freeway to Ennis Avenue where it links to the existing dual carriageway to Mandurah. An interchange would also be built at Ennis Avenue to accommodate the new urban railway line to Mandurah.
"This exciting freeway project will streamline private and public transport travel between Perth and the rapidly-expanding Peel Regions," Mr Criddle said.
"The proposed bus transitway and Narrows Bridge duplication are priority projects under the Government's $1.3 billion State-wide TransformWA package launched last year.
"While more than half the TransformWA expenditure will be spent on urgently needed rural and regional projects, approximately $230 million of TransformWA funding over the next 10 years will be for projects directly related to public transport."
Mr Criddle said the Narrows Bridge duplication was already under way and would be completed by November next year. The bus transitway project was at planning stage with construction expected to start late next year.
The other two tenderers for the Kwinana Freeway interchanges and extension contract were Barclay Mowlem-BGC Contracting Consortium and the Transfield Macmahon Joint Venture.
Media contact: Doug Cunningham 9321 7333