Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade awarded Project of the Year at IPA’s Project of the Year Awards

As a delivery partner of the Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade (HRF) project, BMD Constructions was pleased to learn of the project’s success in being awarded 2022 Project of the Year at the recent 2021-22 Annual Infrastructure Oration and National Infrastructure Awards, held by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia.

This project was a worthy winner of the prestigious award, for the flood resilience and safety benefits it will have on this section of the Bruce Highway in North Queensland, along with the seamless partnership and collaboration between stakeholders throughout construction. This is particularly evident in the joint venture delivery model, with BMD Constructions joined by Bielby Holdings, JF Hull Holdings and Albem Operations in forming The Infrastructure Group (TIG) Joint Venture which constructed the HRF project.

The half-billion-dollar HRF upgrades were undertaken to improve the safety, flood resilience and capacity of the 13.5 kilometre section of the Bruce Highway that crosses the Haughton River Floodplain at Giru, midway between Ayr and Townsville. The complex and multi-faceted project involved the construction of five waterway bridges, two highway overpasses over the cane tramway network, installation of stone mastic asphalt and wide centreline line safety improvement treatments along the whole 13.5 kilometre section of highway, as well as the upgrade of all nine rural intersections within the project area.

Construction excellence and management were crucial to the successful completion of the project, with work spanning across multiple cane harvesting seasons and wet seasons, along with the requirement to manage not only local flooding risks, but intersection closures, detours and safe property access.

The completion of this project will significantly reduce the severity and frequency of flood related closures on this section of the Bruce Highway; which previously closed due to floodwater inundation every one to two years, significantly affecting locals, motorists and transport operators. In addition, these upgrades will improve the highway’s overall safety, capacity, accessibility and network efficiency while contributing to regional growth.