Case Study | Northlink WA Southern Section
2019 Infrastructure Sustainability Awards Case Study
Northlink WA Southern Section
An initiative of Mainroads WA, NorthLink WA provides a non-stop transport route between Morley and Muchea in Western Australia. It is made up of the Southern, Central and Northern Sections, each providing its own set of unique stakeholder benefits. The contractor delivering the project was John Holland Group.
Sustainability was embedded in the project and innovation was demonstrated across several areas. Innovations that were ‘Australia firsts’ include the use of life cycle assessment by a contractor in decision-making during detailed design, a tightened asphalt specification to improve water resistance and durability to increase Pavement Design Life, and a High modulus asphalt (EME2) trial on a 700 m section of the highway (the heaviest traffic loading section of a highway in Australia).
Sustainability initiatives have resulted in cost benefits, both in construction and operational stages over the life of the project.
“NorthLink WA’s Leading score of 95 points is the highest WA score ever and the second highest ISCA rating score in Australia for a transport infrastructure project.”
IN NUMBERS
- 21%: the decrease in materials lifecycle impacts
- 40%: the reduction in water use in construction and operation through a reduced delivery period and by designing out reticulated areas from the landscaping design
- 9%: the reduction in energy use due to light-dimming and adaptive highway lighting