ACCIONA-Ferrovial consortium named preferred bidder for Pacific Highway upgrade in Australia

ACCIONA, a global provider of renewable energy, infrastructure and water services, in partnership with Ferrovial, a leading operator of infrastructure and cities , have been announced preferred bidders for the upgrade of a 19.5km section of the Pacific Highway between Warrell Creek and Nambucca Heads.

The Pacific Highway is the most heavily-transited route in Australia, linking Sydney, its largest city, to Brisbane, the third-largest. The highway is being upgraded and expanded as part of the Coalition Government's plan to prioritise infrastructure investment since taking office in September 2013.

This section of the Pacific Highway upgrade will be ACCIONA's first major infrastructure project in New South Wales. In Brisbane, ACCIONA leads the consortium that is building the $1.5bn Legacy Way tunnels, which have won international awards for the innovative introduction of sustainable construction methods and for breaking the world record for tunnelling speeds.

In all, ACCIONA is bidding on about $5.5 billion of projects in Australia including the Sydney Light Rail Project and Melbourne's East West Link - a key market for the Spanish blue-chip company. It is also positioning itself to bid for future projects such as Sydney's WestConnex road, Brisbane's Gateway Upgrade North and BAT along with light-rail developments in Canberra and Newcastle.

More than 15,000 motorists travel on the Warrell Creek to Nambucca section of the Pacific Highway every day, according to Warren Truss,Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

The upgrade of this heavily-travelled section is being co-financed by the Australian and New South Wales governments. The project includes the design and construction of the 19.5km section, including a new bridge over the Nambucca river at Macksville, new twin bridges over Warrell Creek, and two new grade separated interchanges.