KBR (NYSE: KBR) announced today it has been awarded a design services
contract for road and rail works at the Port of Esperance in Western
Australia as part of the overall $120 million upgrade. The upgrade will
facilitate future growth of the port and greatly improve safety for all
users by separating local traffic from road and rail freight.
KBR, as a consultant to John Holland, will provide detailed design to
grade-separate the main road and rail accesses to the port. In addition,
the local roads and pedestrian/cyclist facilities will be separated. The
design will allow for the later expansion of Harbour Road from two to
four lanes. KBR’s scope also covers associated drainage, structures and
electrical design.
Under the upgrade, 1.1 miles (1.8 km) of Harbour Road will be realigned
to enter the port on the south side of the railway, while the railway
will be relocated via a tunnel under Harbour Road to enter the port on
the northern side. Two road bridges and a pedestrian/cycle underpass
will separate local traffic from the new road and rail line to the port.
By increasing the transport corridor’s capacity, the upgrade will help
the Port of Esperance respond to growth in both the resources sector and
agriculture, while the community of Esperance will enjoy significantly
improved safety and reduced noise. Completion of the upgrade is
scheduled for December 2013.
“KBR is pleased to contribute our design expertise to this complex
project, which involves overcoming challenges of construction while
maintaining port access and traffic flow throughout the project,” said
Colin Elliott, President, KBR Infrastructure. “We have a global
reputation for safely delivering projects in challenging environments,
in this case the design of significant structures in a very confined
site.”
KBR is a global engineering, construction, and services company
supporting the energy, hydrocarbon, government services, minerals, civil
infrastructure, power, industrial, and commercial markets. For more
information, visit www.kbr.com.
Editor notes:
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The Port of Esperance currently handles approximately 11 million tons
of cargo annually—principally nickel, iron ore and grain—but this
volume is predicted to triple over the next decade.
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The existing two-lane access via Harbour Road is already a transport
bottleneck, carrying both heavy freight and local traffic, while the
adjacent railway line with level crossings compounds the safety risk
to all road and rail users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
