SYDNEY PORTS CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 12

22
POrT BOTANY
EXPANSION (PBE)
IN mAY 2012, SYDNEY PORTS’ PORT BOTANY ExPANSION (PBE)
PROjECT wON ThE PRESTIgIOuS AuSTRAlIAN CONSTRuCTION
AChIEvEmENT AwARD. ThE $1 BIllION PROjECT wAS RECOgNISED
FOR ITS CuTTINg EDgE APPROACh TO lARgE-SCAlE REClAmATION
COmPACTION wORk, SEISmIC ENgINEERINg AND REINFORCED
CONCRETE mARINE STRuCTuRES.
The expansion will significantly
increase the capacity of Port Botany,
adding five extra berths to the six
existing container berths. The
63-hectare site was developed using
8 million cubic metres of dredged
material from Port Botany and was
completed in mid-June 2011.
On 1 August 2011, the third container
terminal tenant, Sydney International
Container Terminals Pty. Limited
(SICTL), took possession of 45 hectares
of the site and four berths. This
enabled them to plan for site works
due to begin late 2012. SICTL is part
of the Hutchison Port Holdings
network of port enterprises which will
also operate the Intermodal Logistics
Centre at Enfield.
On 3 May 2012 Sydney Ports entered
into a new lease with Patrick which
included the remaining 18 hectares
of the expanded area, known as
“The Knuckle'', with its additional
container berth.
The PBE is one of the biggest
infrastructure projects undertaken
in Australia in the past 30 years.
Several other projects are underway
to support the increased capacity of
Port Botany by improving landside
container transportation.
Sydney PortS CorPoration annUaL rePort 2011/12
The current major project is the Grade
Separation Works which began in
October 2010. It involves construction
of an elevated road network which will
allow trucks to flow smoothly through
the Port precinct by removing a rail
crossing that requires regular traffic
stoppages. The works consist of a large
elevated round-about, three access
ramps and four bridge spans linking
the ramps to the round-about.
Construction of the round-about
section started in November 2011 and
culminated in March 2012 with one of
Australia’s biggest elevated concrete
pours. By the end of June 2012, two of
the ramps, the round-about and three
bridge spans had been constructed
and the third ramp commenced.
The Grade Separation Works project
is expected to be completed in late
2012. Also due for completion later
in 2012 are the removal of temporary
roads and provision of utilities to the
third terminal.
A $30 million program of community
commitments was a “Conditions of
Consent” for the PBE. In June 2012, the
pedestrian footbridge over the freight
line that crosses Banksia Street Botany
was completed. The bridge eliminates
the danger of an unsignalled
pedestrian crossing and the need for
trains to sound their horns on approach
– both are “wins” for local residents.
Ownership of the bridge is intended
to be transferred to the Council of the
City of Botany Bay in early 2012/13.
It is also a win for rail operators that
trains will no longer have to slow
down on approach to the pedestrian
crossing, improving rail efficiency
along the dedicated freight line
servicing the Port.
Other PBE community commitments
completed before 2011/12 include
the Penrhyn Estuary enhancement,
a public boat ramp, the JJ Cahill
Memorial High School gymnasium
and infrastructure around
Foreshore Beach.