The Cook Islands Government has awarded McConnell Dowell the NZ$30M+ Te Mato Vai project on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
This project is a multi-staged upgrade of the water supply network on Rarotonga, funded by the governments of New Zealand, China and the Cook Islands.
Stage 1, the installation of a new ring around the island was completed in 2016, and McConnell Dowell has been selected to construct Stage 2. This involves the design and construction for the upgrade of 10 existing water intakes, construction of 12km of replacement trunk main from the intakes to the new ring main, and minor upgrades to the access roads to eight of the 10 intakes. Intake works involve the construction of new intake structures, sedimentation tanks, sand filters and bolted steel water storage tanks.
McConnell Dowell has operated on numerous Pacific Islands since 1989, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands and the Marshall Islands. Our track record in the Cook Islands includes the 2012 upgrade of the Avatiu Wharf in Rarotonga, and a solar power project in the outer Cook Islands in 2015.
Works will commence on site in Rarotonga in February 2018 following a six month design period. Construction is programmed to be completed in 18 months.
The final piece at the apex of Christchurch’s architecturally designed ‘gateway arches’ was put in place yesterday morning with the help of a 180 tonne crane.
The top piece (or arch cap) weighs in at 13.5 tonnes and connects the gateway arches, which now stand 27 metres above Memorial Avenue.
“The structure is set to become a powerful symbol for Christchurch,” said Transport Minister Simon Bridges in a press statement today. “It will leave a lasting impression on locals and travellers alike and it is exciting to see it in place.
“What is even more exciting is just how close the Russley Road Upgrade is to completion. This milestone will allow the project to complete the remainder of the interchange below the structure. By mid-August traffic will be able to travel under the new interchange and by early 2018 the whole project will be complete – months ahead of schedule.”
The arches and a major interchange are being constructed by a McConnell Dowell Downer Joint Venture at the intersection of Russley Road and Memorial Avenue, near Christchurch Airport.
Watch a
of the arch cap being lowered into place.
Announced the night before the project’s official opening events, the timing of the award was near perfect.
“It was a great night – fantastic,” says Alliance Project Manager Iain Simmons. “What it says for me is that we are the best delivered project as far as our peers in the construction industry are concerned.”
“For me personally winning the award means a great deal. But this is one for the team – not just for me or the project’s managers - everyone has played a part.”
Since breaking ground in 2012, the project has been delivered by an Alliance comprising the customer NZ Transport Agency together with McConnell Dowell, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Fletcher Construction, Beca Infrastructure, Tonkin & Taylor and Obayashi Corporation.
Iain says the judges were impressed by the way home companies and organisations in the Alliance, and their workers, collaborated and worked as one team. The project’s commitment to upskill workers, keep people safe, and to reach out to their families to make lives better scored well too.
Award judges also drilled down into the many different processes and systems used by the Alliance to deliver a successful project - relationships with designers, customer and community satisfaction, quality and protecting the environment “We had a fantastic story to tell,” says Iain.
More than 200 engineers were considered for inclusion on the prestigious list, with the winners selected by a panel of judges including:
- Bronwyn Evans, CEO, Standards Australia
- John Immelman, former Managing Director, Endress+Hauser Australia
- John Wilson, Executive Dean, Swinburne University of Technology
- Alex Kingsbury, former Director of CSIRO's additive manufacturing centre, Lab 22
- Ian Opperman, NSW Chief Data Scientist
- James Trevelyan, Professor, University of Western Australia
Engineers Australia National President John McIntosh congratulated all the winners.
"Australian engineers are respected worldwide both for our ingenuity and persistence in making our solutions work," he said. "We are the home, after all, of world famous inventions such as WiFi and the black box flight recorder."
Innovative engineering has always been part of McConnell Dowell’s DNA and this nomination is a strong endorsement of Vito’s engineering leadership and recognition of our ‘Creative Construction’ brand.
You can read Vito’s profile in create magazine.
McConnell Dowell Managing Director - Australia, Jim Frith was extremely pleased to be working with the Australian and Victorian governments to deliver this significant rail upgrade.
“We are ready to maximise the benefits of this substantial investment in Victoria’s rail network, and deliver a safer, more productive rail freight network for V/Line and the people of Victoria,” Mr Frith said.
“Generating local jobs and spending locally will be a key focus of our team and we will be recruiting at least 15 per cent of our workforce from the Murray Basin region.”
More than 400 personnel will be employed on the project at its peak.
Construction is scheduled to commence onsite in July 2017, with practical completion scheduled for August 2018.
If you would like information on how you can be involved in this project, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Project Facts
The Murray Basin Rail Project involves:
- upgrading 1,055 kilometres of rail track
- converting the track from broad gauge to standard gauge
- increasing the allowable train axle loading from 19 tonnes to 21 tonnes, except for the Ouyen to Murrayville line which remains at 19 tonnes
For further details visit the V/Line website: www.vline.com.au/murraybasinrail
