Bouygues Travaux Publics, a leading French engineering group, has announced that a consortium comprising its Australian unit along with key members John Holland, Jacobs, Arcadis and Ventia, has secured a major contract to build the River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) tunnel project in South Australia.
A major specialist in tunnels, civil engineering structures, roads, ports and railway infrastructure work, Bouygues Travaux Publics said its share in the project is worth more than €2 billion ($2.2 billion).
The T2D project involves the construction of a 10.5-km motorway, with three lanes in each direction and including tunnel sections, linking the River Torrens area in the north to Darlington in the south of Adelaide.
This continuous motorway aims to improve safety and travel efficiency for motorists and includes two sets of twin three-lane tunnels, which will be connected by an open motorway.
Pressurised tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used to excavate the tunnels and crossings. This method reduces the risk of soil compaction, while ensuring the integrity of surrounding structures and landscapes.
Main construction is scheduled to start next year, with excavation of the southern tunnels beginning in 2026 and the project opening to traffic by 2031.
On the big win, Bertrand Burtschell, CEO of Bouygues Travaux Publics, said: "Following the Melbourne metro and the NorthConnex and WestConnex projects in Sydney, this new contract fully confirms our status as a leading player in Australia."
"We are proud and honoured by the trust that the Australian and South Australian governments have placed in us, and we will be calling on all our expertise to build this emblematic project, with our partners. It will greatly improve mobility and quality of life for the people of Adelaide," he added.
The T2D Project will play a vital role in streamlining key freight transportation routes, building community connection by improving access to Adelaide’s central business district (CBD) and key travel gateways, and renewing urban areas with new pedestrian, cycling and green space facilities.-TradeArabia News Service