Melbourne’s M80 Ring Road Upgrade from Sydney Road to Edgars Road by CPB Contractors and Major Road Projects Victoria was announced as the winner of the 2023 Australian Construction Achievement Award (ACAA) at a major industry event in Melbourne last week.
The project has transformed one of Melbourne’s busiest freeways, providing additional capacity and improving safety for more than 165,000 drivers each day.
The upgrade team widened 5.7 kilometres of freeway; adding additional lanes, ramps, collector distributors and a smart freeway system – all in and around live traffic flows.
Clever technical solutions and a strong innovation and sustainability culture saw the project completed a year ahead of schedule and under budget.
Australian Constructors Association CEO Jon Davies said: “The award is one of the highest forms of recognition for a project because it not only recognises traditional construction excellence, but also excellence in initiatives designed to make the industry a more efficient and better place to work.
“The CPB Contractors and Major Road Projects Victoria M80 project team set a new standard for diversity and inclusivity.
“They achieved a representation of 3.1 per cent Aboriginal employees and a leadership team comprised of 40 per cent women, while 30 per cent of the overall project workforce is also comprised of women.
“This diverse team achieved remarkable success, driven by a cohesive ‘one team’ culture that fostered collaboration and innovation from the very beginning.
“This culture paved the way for exceptional achievements, such as being the first freeway to incorporate recycled content in every pavement layer.”
Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO praised the finalists for responding to industry challenges to bolster the sector and continue to strive for excellence in construction.
Madew said: “Covid-19 disruptions to supply chains and project schedules, economic factors and shortages of skilled personnel in key areas – engineering being one of them – have combined to challenge the sector.
“In trying times, constructors have relied on strong and positive workplace cultures and uncompromising standards of safety and quality.
“They have embraced technological advances in planning, design and project management to earn their place among the stable of finalists.”
