Major Infrastructure Growth in Australia

An unprecedented infrastructure boom is taking place in Australia, particularly in the south east near Sydney and Melbourne. Driven by the ambitious Infrastructure Priority List published by Infrastructure Australia, it’s likely that high levels of infrastructure investment will be seen in Australia for the next 10 years as funding becomes available for these projects. Here are some of the high priority projects that are in need of construction professionals.

Construction Jobs in Sydney

As the largest city in Australia, Sydney is attracting significant infrastructure investment to address the needs of its residents. Here are some of the biggest and most interesting construction projects in Sydney:

• M4 Motorway Upgrade: Australia’s first smart motorway project (AUS$470 million), totalling 35km of widening works and technological upgrades. The final phases of the project are underway with works expected to be complete in late 2020.
• WORTH NOTING: Construction site managers, resident engineers, quantity surveyors and commercial managers with highways experience will all be needed to help wrap up the last 18 months of this project.
• Sydney Metro City & Southwest: Well underway, this AUS$11 billion project to increase metro train capacity across Sydney is currently constructing the new tunnels and excavating for stations and services facilities. Estimated completion date is late 2024.
• WORTH NOTING: Tunnel and station fit out is expected to start in mid-2020 with testing and commissioning in 2023, making this one to watch for rail system engineers, signalling engineers, and rail testing and commissioning engineers.
• Paramatta Light Rail: Stage 1 of this AUS$2.4 billion project is underway, with site investigations currently ongoing and construction expected to start late this year on the new 20km route. Estimated completion date is 2023.
• WORTH NOTING: Construction is likely to start in the fall, making this the perfect timing for construction site managers, resident engineers, and quantity surveyors to express their interest. Stage 2 is also currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment, so rail engineers, civil engineers, and project managers will soon be required to complete the final design.
• Western Sydney Airport: A second airport for Sydney, worth AUS$5.3 billion. Earthworks began in September 2018, with completion expected in 2026.
• WORTH NOTING: Few new airports are being built, with most being upgrades or extensions to existing airports. This is a great opportunity for quantity surveyors, civil engineers, project managers and commercial managers with aviation experience to work on a new build airport at the forefront of innovation.

Construction Jobs in Melbourne

Melbourne is a hotspot for road projects at the moment, with several underway:

• M80 Ring Road Upgrades: The final stages of this multi-phase, AUS$2.25 billion project have recently started on site, including widening of the existing carriageway as well as adding new lanes and an electronic freeway system. Estimated completion is 2023.
• WORTH NOTING: Construction recently started on site, so it’s likely there will be increased demand for construction site managers, resident engineers, highway technology engineers, and quantity surveyors with highways experience as the works progress.
• Monash Freeway Upgrade Stage 2: This AUS$7 million upgrade is due to start construction imminently, including 36km of new lanes as well as technology upgrades to provide real-time traffic information and lane management. Completion is expected in 2022.
• WORTH NOTING: The procurement phase is due to end anytime soon, making this one to watch for construction site managers, resident engineers, and quantity surveyors as site works will no doubt want to mobilize quickly.
• North East Link: Victoria’s largest road project, with over AUS$9 billion of works in several packages in order to deliver 6km of twin three-lane tunnels, intelligent transport systems, new interchanges and 7km of new freeway. The early works and tunnelling works packages are currently under procurement, with several more in the pipeline. Expected completion is 2027.
• WORTH NOTING: Getting in at the start of a large project like this could see many construction site managers, resident engineers, project managers and quantity surveyors kept busy for the next 8 years. The broad range of works makes this one of the most interesting projects going in Australia.

The Time to Act Is Now

With so many infrastructure jobs in Australia at the moment – and plenty more in the pipeline – now is the time to be registering your interest and keeping your finger on the pulse of the market. A wide range of opportunities will be coming up for construction professionals, so if you have been thinking about working on a new airport or getting involved in one of the country’s largest road projects, now is the time to get in touch and get in at the start of an exciting new challenge.

About the Author

Richard Poulter
Construction Recruitment Director, Hong Kong
I am responsible for the recruitment business in Hong Kong, Asia, and the Middle East. I was a civil engineer and project manager for 15 years before becoming a construction industry recruitment consultant in 2004. I am based in the Hong Kong office and specialise in placing professionals in engineering, project management, planning, HSEQ and risk.
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Email: richard@maximrecruitment.com