Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) has been awarded with the ‘Outstanding Civil Infrastructure Project’ for its earthworks by the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue.
WSI, together with the earthworks principal contractor, the CPB ACCIONA joint venture, received the award for what was one of the largest earthmoving projects in Australia’s history. The project is now in the running for the ‘Project of the Year’ to be awarded at a gala dinner on 16 November.
The Boomtown! Project of the Year Awards was established to acknowledge major projects that have or will significantly contribute to the sustainable growth of Greater Western Sydney.
“WSI’s earthworks project was about preparing the site to build an airport that will be transformational for Western Sydney in terms of creating jobs and attracting investment,” said WSI CEO Simon Hickey.
“More than 50 percent of the workforce were locals from Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. That local employment is continuing now, during terminal and runway construction.
“A fleet of around 311 earthmoving machines, scrapers, excavators, dump trucks and dozers, were used on the project, including some of the world’s largest, the type you’d expect to see on mega mining projects.”
Almost 27 million cubic metres of earth was moved around the 1,780-hectare site, which is almost three times the size of Sydney Olympic Park.
The first sod was turned in September 2018 and the airport’s earthworks were completed in March 2023.
Nearly six million tonnes of high-quality sandstone was brought in from rail and motorway tunnelling projects across Sydney to lay the foundations for crucial areas of the airport, including the runway, taxiways and terminal.
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) recently recognised the project for its sustainability work, bestowing the highest rating level sanctioned by their rating scheme.
“The project achieved leading economic, environmental, and social outcomes” said Wayne Poulsen, Project Director at CPB ACCIONA joint venture.
“Nearly 100% of water required during the project was recycled water, reducing reliance on conventional water sources.
“The project diverted over 11,600 tonnes of construction waste from landfill and achieved a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions using renewable energy and efficient construction practices.
“The airport is proud of our gender equality and inclusion in the earthworks project where 13% of the mobile plant operators were female, more than triple the national average of 4%.
“The project successfully moved a million cubic meters of material per month, during the difficult conditions of La Niña and COVID-19.
“We are also proud of the environmental credentials achieved during the project which was recognised in an award for 'Environmental Excellence' at the 2022 IECA conference for erosion control during La Niña.
The development of WSI continues, with terminal and runway construction now underway. More than 4000 workers are currently on site.
“WSI is set to open on schedule in late 2026, when the airport will connect Sydney to the world via Western Sydney,” Mr Hickey said.
“The airport will deliver more, high quality jobs for communities across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.”
