Thiess Quarterly News, Volume 1, 2005

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Project updateGeraldton set for earlyRevisions to the traffic management plan and constructionschedule means the Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor(GSTC) is now due to finish by end 2005.The original completiondate for the $88 millionproject, which involves thecreation of 4.9km of newroad, 13km of rail, fourbridges, and two tunnels,was forecast for April 2006when Thiess was awardedthe contract in 2003.But a revision of the trafficmanagement plan andconstruction schedule inFebruary 2004 saw theproject leap ahead withroadwork now due forcompletion by mid 2005 andthe railway to be installedbefore the end of 2005.Fast tracking the projectConstruction ManagerPeter Hopfmueller said thescheduled early completionis a great result for thecommunity and our client.“The construction teamreviewed the original programand came up with a newconstruction sequence thatwe thought would be the bestway to minimise disruption tothe community,” he said.“This involved building theBrand Highway Interchangefirst, and with the support ofthe City of Geraldton,we have been able to followthat sequence through.“The interchange is a keyfeature of the project and hasinvolved replacing the existingBrand Highway Roundaboutto assist with the traffic flowfor vehicles entering thecentral business district.“Originally we were goingto concentrate on buildingthe Waverley Street Bridgefirst. However, building theInterchange first has causedslightly more disruption butover a shorter period of time.“More importantly, changingthe construction sequenceallowed us to maximise ourresources in the first part of2004 and get the project tothe stage that it currently is.”Thiess meets clientexpectationsAccording to Main Roads’Community RelationsRepresentative TammyMitchell, the Thiess Teamworked hard to allow theinterchange bridges to beopened to traffic beforeChristmas.“It is a pleasure to work withThiess to ensure the worksare effectively managed, andenvironmental standards notcompromised.”Future worksIn finalising the project, futureworks involve completingfinishing works at theinterchange including theeastern side of the southernramp and sealing of thepedestrian and cyclist path.Following the recent openingof the Waverly Street Bridge,Geraldton road users can alsolook forward to the openingof the Marine Terrace nearPages Beach in March 2005,which will allow traffic to travelin an east-west route again,and the Highbury StreetBridge opening in June 2005.For more information aboutthe project, please visit theproject website – http://geraldton.thiess.com.au.The first car to travel over theBrand Highway Interchange.“I would like to congratulatethe Thiess Team for its ongoingcommitment to delivering theGSTC in an environmentallysensitive manner and with theleast possible impact on theGeraldton community,”she said.WA Premier Geoff Gallop atthe launch.6THIESS l quarterly news l VOLUME 1 l 2005
finishInterchange opens to huge crowdsThe much anticipated BrandHighway Interchange, partof the Geraldton SouthernTransport Corridor (GSTC),officially opened to a crowd ofapproximately 1,000 peoplewho were keen to be thefirst to walk over the newlyconstructed bridge on21 December 2004.Thiess, Main Roads andlocal group Move MotivateMidwest, invited theGeraldton community to joinin this once-only opportunityto enjoy the panoramic views,meet the people who made ithappen and then join them forbreakfast on the bridge.This was followed at 12pm bythe very first cars travellingacross the two bridges andthe interchange with trafficflowing smoothly.According to ThiessConstruction ManagerPeter Hopfmueller thesupport shown by theGeraldton communityhas been overwhelming.“It’s very rewarding for Thiessand all the team that’s workedtogether. It’s a really goodfeeling and we are prettyhappy,” he said.“We were only expecting 200or 300 but the support hasbeen fantastic and exceededall our expectations.“It’s great for the team tosee first hand what they’vebeen working on over thepast months and to hand itover to such an enthusiasticcommunity.”The opening of the interchangemeans less traffic disruptionand improved access topedestrian and cyclist facilities.Move Motivate Midwestescorted groups of walkersfrom the Geraldton SurfLifesaving Club andMaitland Park.Committee Member for thegroup Jo Blayney said theevent was important becauseit highlighted facilities forpedestrians and cyclistsat the interchange.The opening of theinterchange on the GSTCis a significant step forwardin the overall project. Formany in the Geraldtoncommunity it will mean aneasier commute to work,less traffic disruption neartheir homes and improvedaccess to pedestrian andcyclist facilities. However thebenefits do not stop there.While the road is an integralpart of the project, the railwayto be installed before theend of 2005, will continueto deliver benefits to theGeraldton community interms of access, safety andefficiency for the transportindustry and for theGeraldton community.•Members of the GSTC Project Team.L to R: Niels Asche, Mark O’Reilly, Carolyn Nixon, Brendon Deshon,Peter Hopfmueller, Brenton Pike, Adrian Matthews and Peter Schmidt.Approximately 1000 people took the opportunity to walk on theBrand Interchange before it was officially opened.THIESS l quarterly news l VOLUME 1 l 2005 7
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Page 8 and 9: AwardsNew contract awardsGeothermal
Page 10 and 11: WinThiess wins additional$15 millio
Page 13 and 14: UpgradesOut with the old and in wit
Page 15 and 16: Roof raiseDarwin LNG Project raises
Page 17 and 18: ConsolidatedSTCJV and Silcar form o
Page 19 and 20: HealthA step in theright directionT

Thiess Quarterly News, Volume 1, 2005

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