The Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade was the final link in the Pacific Highway upgrade, between Hexham and Queensland border to be upgraded to four lanes, divided carriageway.

The Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade was the final link in the Pacific Highway upgrade, between Hexham and Queensland border to be upgraded to four lanes, divided carriageway.

Partnering with Transport for NSW and WSP, we managed the delivery of the 129 kilometre section between Glenugie and Ballina. The team comprised specialists in construction, design management and programme management, who, in turn, managed the contractors building the infrastructure.

It takes experience to power projects of the magnitude of the Woolgoolga to Ballina upgrade. The team oversaw more than 3,000 people to deliver part of Australia’s largest regional road infrastructure project.

The Australian and NSW governments jointly funded the Woolgoolga to Ballina upgrade on an 80:20 basis. Both governments shared a commitment to opening this section by 2020.

Despite disruptive bushfires and a global pandemic, the team opened the final link of the Pacific Highway to traffic in December 2020. This was achieved through a staged approach focussed on keeping communities moving.

Collaboration is key

This project was able to bring together private sector innovation and flexibility with the knowledge and experience of the public sector. The team acted as the agent of Transport for NSW in all aspects of project development, procurement and delivery. They worked closely with contractors and sub-contractors to achieve the common goal of opening to traffic in 2020.

Where possible, the team employed locally, creating new jobs and training individuals and businesses in new work techniques and processes.

Sophisticated user-friendly systems provided performance information to the team and project partners to make informed decisions and deliver the project at an unprecedented scale and pace.

The result 

This significant piece of infrastructure leaves a positive legacy for local communities and stakeholders. It also improves safety and freight reliability between Sydney and Brisbane. Crash rates are expected to reduce by 27 percent and travel time by 29 minutes.

We are proud of the team’s collective efforts – this project will save lives, reduce travel times and enable economic growth.