Ferrovial has been awarded a contract in Australia valued at 2.2 billion Australian dollars (1.46 billion euros) to build 14 kilometers of road along the New South Wales coast, including three tunnels. The Spanish company chaired by Rafael del Pino has won this contract through a joint venture also owned by the Malaysian company Gamuda, as reported by the Government of the State in which the city of Sydney is also located.
The company has prevailed over two other consortiums participated by two Spanish rivals: ACS, through its subsidiary company CPB Contractors and in consortium with the Italian WeBuild; and on the other Acciona, which was presented in association with the local firm Seymour Whyte.
The winning consortium will now have to improve 14 kilometers of Pacific Highway as it passes through Coffs Harbour, starting from just south of the Englands Road roundabout and ending at the southern end of Sapphire-Woolgoolga. Ferrovial and Gamuda will have to deliver a four-lane motorway bypass along a system of tunnels and bridges known as bypass, which will run through the central business district of Coffs Harbour. The work will mean removing up to 12,000 vehicles from the city center, saving users up to 12 minutes of traffic, and its construction will create up to 600 direct jobs. The forecast is to open the new infrastructure at the end of 2026.
The budget will be financed 100% by the Administration in a proportion of 80% by the Federal Government of Australia and 20% by the local Executive of New South Wales. In the 2021-2022 financial year, 100 million dollars have already been allocated.
Presence in Australia
Ferrovial has a consolidated presence in the Australian market, where it has been present for 20 years. The first operation carried out by the company in this country was through its airport subsidiary, which in 2002 obtained the management of the Sydney airport. The company came to control 20.9% of the assets, which it managed until 2007. In addition, its motorway subsidiary has carried out other projects such as the Toowoomba city bypass (Queensland), which has received an investment of 1,100 million euros, or the Western Roads Upgrade project, in Melbourne.
For its part, the construction division has been permanently present in the country since 2011, having participated in the connectivity and improvement of the access network to the Northern Beaches Hospital in Sydney or the Pacific Highway, between Warrell Creek and Nambucca Heads , or at the Harwood Bridge, in this case also with Acciona.
Although they have now clashed over this contract, Ferrovial and Acciona have joined forces in recent years to win various projects around the world. For example, one of the consortiums that they have formed has won a contract for the Sydney metro for 1,240 million euros, one of the most important contracts in Australia.
