Contractors win NZCF/Hirepool Construction Awards

6 August 2012

Contractors overcome challenges to win NZCF/Hirepool Construction Awards

Two Fiordland schemes and the first completed project in the Government’s seven Roads of National Significance, feature among winners of the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation Hirepool Construction Awards 2012.

The Victoria Park Tunnel Roads of National Significance project in Auckland won Category Four of the prestigious competition, for projects exceeding $20m.

The awards have four categories, recognising excellence in civil construction projects carried out by New Zealand companies at home or abroad, with budgets ranging from up to $500,000 to over $20m.

The other winners were Downer NZ for the Cleddau River Flood Protection in Fiordland, Brian Perry Civil for the Manapouri Lake Control Structure Repairs and Civil Construction (Horrell Contracting Ltd) for the Project Manassen Dwelling site works.

NZCF Executive Officer Malcolm Abernethy said that the Victoria Park project was outstanding in every sense.

It comprised a cut and cover tunnel, reconfiguration of a viaduct and widening the busy St Mary’s Bay motorway through to Auckland’s harbour bridge approach, through a sensitive community and heavy traffic site.

The project included extensive earthworks, piling operations, diversion and support of major services, new services and civil construction, removal of contaminated material and temporary relocation and strengthening of historic buildings.

“Despite the many challenges, the project was completed three months ahead of the programme completion date which was already 12 months ahead of the client’s budgeted programme,” said Mr Abernethy. “The judges were very impressed.”

The tunnel was developed for the New Zealand Transport Agency by an alliance comprising Fletcher Construction, Beca, Higgins and Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Category Three for projects worth $5m to $20m was won by Downer for the Cleddau River Flood Protection carried out for DoC in Milford Sound.

The project included excavation and placement of 130,000m3 of river gravels and placement of 14,000m3 of stone, relocating 45 structures, raising the village area three to four metres, installing infrastructure and replacing structures.

Mr Abernethy said: “Fiordland National Park is a vast remote wilderness, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the home of a number of endangered species and has one of the highest rainfall areas in NZ. It presented unique challenges to the contractor in terms of planning and execution.

“Despite this the project was delivered on budget, a month ahead of the scheduled completion date, to a high standard with innovation providing significant savings to the client.”

Brian Perry Civil won Category Two, for projects worth $500,000 to $5m, for the Manapouri Lake Control Structure Repairs.

The remote construction site, also situated in Fiordland, included the excavation of a stilling basin for coffer dam construction and the design and build of a coffer dam system with the dam remaining operational at all times.

The contractor also had to deal with an extreme ‘once in 100 years’ flood which demolished the coffer dam – but it was successfully recovered and reinstated and the programme was completed within budget and ahead of schedule.

Category One, for projects worth less than $500,000, was won by Civil Construction (Horrell Contracting Ltd) for the Project Manassen Dwelling Site for a new residential property in Queenstown.

Mr Abernethy said that the contractor had overcome challenges including a steep site, restricted access, challenging ground conditions. The contractor had also used innovative approaches to significant retaining wall construction within a residential area, with environmental considerations including noise and dust control.

Mr Abernethy said: “All the projects demonstrated outstanding technical and environmental planning and often innovative approaches and provided solutions that provided identifiable and long lasting benefits to the client, public and environment.

Two Merit Awards were also presented. These went to Goodman Contracting in Category Two for the North East Industrial Sub-Division in Palmerston North and HEB Construction for the Kopu Bridge on SH 25 south of Thames.

Winners were announced at the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation’s 68th annual conference in Blenheim.

ENDS

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