New Parallel Runway at Brisbane Airport awarded Project of the Year at IPA’s Project of the Year Awards

BMD Constructions, in partnership with CPB Contractors, is delighted to have been awarded Project of the Year (2021) at the 2021-22 Annual Infrastructure Oration and National Infrastructure Awards for the construction of the New Parallel Runaway (NPR) at Brisbane Airport.

The NPR is one of the largest aviation construction projects ever undertaken in Australia. The project set a benchmark for design, efficiency and construction and was at the cutting edge of engineering with 5,000,000m³ of excess sand removed, placement and compaction of 1.2 million tonnes of rock, construction of a 3.3 kilometre runway and 12 kilometres of taxiways, installation of 2200 airfield lights and landscaping across the 360-hectare site. Being such a large-scale project, some of the complexities faced during construction included working in a live airport environment and the geotechnical constraints of building on former wetlands.

The project delivered enormous local benefits with the employment of more than 3700 people, proudly sourcing 95% of personnel from South East Queensland, and enforcing a strong safety culture to achieve zero lost time injuries over the 3.3 million hours worked.

Brisbane Airport’s NPR fundamentally changed the landscape of the Australian aviation sector by providing Brisbane with Australia’s most efficient runway system. The infrastructure will be key to future demand and economic recovery with an estimated 7800 new jobs to be created by 2035 and $5 billion in annual economic benefit to the region.