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First Practical Completion milestone achieved on Western Sydney Airport

Transport
7 of June, 2021
  • Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is on track as the Western Sydney Airport Bulk Earthworks (WSABE) project reaches their first Practical Completion milestone.

On Monday 7 June, the team at WSABE reached a major milestone, achieving the handover and Practical Completion of Portion 1, Phase 1 on the Western Sydney International Airport site.

There are five portions due for handover to Western Sydney Airport. Portion 1, Phase 1 represents the future terminal area and the access road for the terminal building contractor, Multiplex.

This achievement represents 21 months of hard work and dedication by the entire project team, which has required:

  • Design (and a redesign)
  • Remediation
  • Clearing and pioneering works
  • Bulk earthworks cut-to-fill operations – both scrapers and rigid dump trucks – over 3,500,000m³
  • Changes to incorporate an excavation for the future basement
  • Placement of site ‘won’ material (material found on-site) and imported sandstone (from the WestConnex 3A and 3B projects) for the SIL – over 450,000m³
  • Spray sealing – over 550,000m²
  • Perimeter fencing – 4,250lm, and
  • Construction of the LILO access from Badgerys Creek Road into the future terminal area.

Project Director Matt Brecht said, “The team has worked tirelessly over recent months, hampered by rain, which has led to multiple program sequencing revisions.

“Thank you to everyone on-site who has played a part in reaching this milestone for the project – I’m proud of the entire team, and that we have been able to achieve this milestone on time.”

WSABE is one of the largest earthmoving challenges in Australia’s history. Since construction began in January 2020, the team has moved over 15 million cubic metres of material over the 5.9 km long x 1.7km wide site, with approx. 9 million cubic metres of material remaining to be moved.

Preparation of the airport site has involved more than 270 machines, including 70 scrapers, 39 bulldozers, 58 large haul trucks and 25 excavators, with approx. 400 people working on the project every day.

Project completion is expected by September 2022.