Reinforcing Steel: the strength behind Australia's Nation Building

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Having recently progressed from early works into major construction, Cross River Rail is a key piece of infrastructure anticipated to unlock travel overcrowding for the city of Brisbane and surrounds. Valued at $5.4 billion, the project will see four new underground stations, upgrades to eight existing stations, and three new aboveground Gold Coast stations developed along the new 10.2 km rail line. At the heart of the project is 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the CBD, allowing trains to travel more frequently, increasing capacity for greater  passenger numbers and removing up to 14,000 cars from congested South Queensland roads.

The project is expected to generate 7,700 jobs for the Queensland economy during construction with the Queensland government actively pursuing a local jobs approach. InfraBuild Construction Solutions is proud to be a part of this approach through the supply of Australian made reinforcing steel processed locally at our Brisbane facility.

Image courtesy Cross River Rail Delivery Authority

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Located 145km south of Port Hedland, the Iron Bridge Magnetite Project is a new mine development. A joint venture between Fortescue’s subsidiary FMG Iron Bridge and Formosa Steel IB, the project is valued at $3.7 billion and includes processing and transport facilities. Throughout construction, the project will generate 3,000 jobs for the Western Australian economy and 900 full-time positions once operations commence.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan heralded the project as a win for the region.

"This is great news for the Pilbara and great news for Western Australia. I look forward to working with FMG to ensure Western Australians, particularly in the Pilbara, will reap the benefits of this project in the years to come." Premier McGowan said.

Through their partnership with primary contractor CPB Contractors, InfraBuild Construction Solutions will supply 4 000 tonnes of reinforcing steel to the development of Iron Bridge’s wet processing plant. Expected to begin operations in the first half of 2022, Iron Bridge will deliver 22mtpa of high grade 67% Fe magnetite concentrate.

Image Courtesy CPB Contractors

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Another milestone in the delivery of Queensland’s Bruce Highway upgrade has arrived with the commencement of the Maroochydore Road to Mons Road Interchange package of works. The project includes a new, 4-lane eastbound bridge over the Bruce Highway from Nambour Connection Road to Maroochydore Road, converting the roads’ existing roundabout to a signalised interchange, and upgrades, relocations, and removals of existing off and on ramps.

The Maroochydore Road and Mons Road Interchange upgrade targets the area’s know congestion and safety issue – crash numbers per kilometre within the area are more than twice the Bruce Highway average.

Partnering with John Holland Seymour Whyte Joint Venture, InfraBuild Construction Solutions will provide 2,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel to the project which, upon completion in 2022, will signal the beginning of the final push in the 15-year long delivery of the $12.6 billion Bruce Highway project

Image courtesy Department of Transport and Main Roads. 

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Five new underground stations. Seven years of major construction. Increased peak capacity by 504,000 passengers. The Melbourne Metro Tunnel is one of the largest rail projects currently underway in Australia and aims to alleviate the city’s congested City Loop by diverting its busiest lines through the new twin tunnels. Beyond direct benefits to the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, Metro Tunnel will also bring an average travel time saving of 10 minutes across the city’s suburban and regional lines.

The Metro Tunnel has been lauded by Victoria’s Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan as a project set to enable Victoria’s transport system to grow alongside its community.

“The Metro Tunnel is all about making it faster and easier for people to travel between suburbs and the city”, Minister Allan said.

Throughout the project’s Major Construction period, InfraBuild Construction Solution has been collaborating closely with the Cross Yarra Partnership to supply Australian made reinforcing steel. From piling cages, to diaphragm wall cages (including those specialised with Dextra ASTEX Soft-Eyes to allow TBMs to break through without damage), prefabrication of slab inverts and B-Mats, and also complex Prefab station columns and roof beams requiring 3D BIM, Construction Solutions has been the key reo supplier to the project’s new underground stations.

Image courtesy of Melbourne Metro Tunnel

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When travellers disembark at Martin Place in 2024, they will not only arrive at a world-class transport hub but a new landmark CBD precinct offering commercial, retail, and dining experiences. To be designed and constructed by LendLease, the  integrated station development will include Sydney Metro's new Martin Place Station, two new buildings above the station and new underground pedestrian connections.

Engaged early in the design process, InfraBuild Construction Solutions has worked closely with LendLease to optimise the CBD project. Using 3D BIM technology, Construction Solutions were pivotal in identifying reo clashes and ensuring buildability of the project’s two buildings. By project’s end InfraBuild Construction Solutions will supply approximately 10,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel, a third of which will be prefabricated offsite to alleviate onsite congestion and project time pressures.

Artist impression of the building above the northern entrance of Martin Place. Image courtesy of Metro Martin Place.

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Port Augusta is proving itself the preferred site for South Australia’s renewable energy revolution. One of two renewable energy projects currently underway in the area, the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park will span approximately 5,400 hectares and represents Spanish utility firm Iderdrola Renewable’s first renewable energy park in Australia.

The hybrid park will pair wind and solar generation with 50 4.2MW wind turbines and 250,000 solar modules to be constructed on the site. The approach will capitalise on Port Augusta’s natural high daytime wind resource and strong solar respectively.

The Park is a milestone on the state’s journey to 100% net renewable energy by 2030 and has been welcomed by the state South Australian Minister for Energy and Mining, Dan van Holst Pellekaan as cementing South Australia’s role in a clean energy future.

InfraBuild Construction Solutions will supply heavy reinforcing rebar to the project. The steel, which will be used in the footings of the wind turbines, will be precisely detailed and processed to ensure accuracy for fixers on site at Port Augusta, over 300kms away from Construction Solution’s Cavan facility.

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Currently undergoing development on ABCTV’s former Gore Hill site, NEXTDC’s newest facility will see the tech-rich history of the site enter the digital age. Delivering more than 20,000 m² of IT space, the S3 Sydney Data Centre will be NEXTDC’s third within the city. Like the company’s other centres, S3 Sydney will operate at a NABERS 5-star energy efficiency rating and has been designed to set a new standard of energy efficiency for data centres in Australia. The $350 million development is an essential step towards NEXTDC meeting the ever-increasing demand for their industry-leading outsourcing solutions and connectivity services.

The state of the art facility will be delivered by Multiplex in line with accelerated construction works and is set to meet significant sustainability goals. In the supply of 4,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel, 500 of which will be mass optimised prefabricated columns, InfraBuild Construction Solutions is an essential partner in the sustainable delivery of Sydney’s newest data centre.

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Following the successful supply of reinforcing steel to the Forrestfield-Airport Link, InfraBuild Construction Solutions is proud to continue to be a part of Western Australia’s rail infrastructure development by partnering with the NEWest Alliance to deliver 8,500 tonnes of reinforcing cages to the Yanchep Rail Extension and Thornlie-Cockburn Link. Improving public transport for Perth’s growing northern corridor, and facilitating more flexible train travel for Perth southern suburbs respectively, Yanchep Rail Extension and the Thornlie-Cockburn Link are the latest projects to be commenced as part of the state government’s METRONET program.

METRONET not only represents Western Australia’s largest investment in public transport but is also a cornerstone of the state’s economic and social recovery from COVID-19.

Rita Saffioti, Transport Minister for WA’s state government, welcomes the ongoing works.

“Building METRONET [will] change the face of Perth, transform communities and revolutionise the way people travel around our city and suburbs,” Minister Saffioti said.

Image Courtesy METRONET