Adding a Spark to the North East Link tunnels – consortium selected as preferred bidder
Spark, a consortium comprising WeBuild, GS Engineering and Construction, CPB Contractors, China Construction Oceania, Ventia, Capella Capital, John Laing Investments, DIF and Pacific Partnerships, has been selected as the preferred bidder to deliver the tunnelling package for North East Link project in Melbourne.
The selection by the Victorian Government follows a worldwide search for constructing the twin three-lane tunnels and key interchanges since late 2018, with the tunnelling work estimated to cost $7-9 billion.
The bidders included some of the biggest construction companies in Australia and globally, with the other shortlisted consortia comprising names such as John Holland Group, Acciona Construction and Samsung C&T Corporation.
Once constructed, the twin tunnels between Lower Plenty Road and Bridge Street will be Victoria’s longest twin road tunnels. The top of the tunnels would be at least 15 metres under residential properties and at least 20 metres under the Yarra River bed. At their deepest point, the the tunnels would be about 40 metres underground.
Along with building the twin tunnels, the selected contractor will also design the entire project, including its new interchanges, freeway upgrades and paths for pedestrians and cyclists.