A joint venture of Diona and Ward Civil & Environmental Engineering has been chosen to deliver enabling works for the Parramatta Light Rail project.
George Street in the Parramatta CBD will become two-way road, and O’Connell Street will be widened to four lanes as part of road and traffic changes ahead of major light rail construction.
The Diona Ward Joint Venture will relocate underground utilities, upgrade intersections, install new traffic lights, and deliver changes to landscaping, street lanes and parking.
“These enabling works are vital to keep the city moving and to minimise disruption for the people of Parramatta,” Parramatta Light Rail program director Tim Poole said.
“These changes, while not directly along the Parramatta Light Rail route, will provide additional capacity and connections for everyone in the CBD before, during and after the light rail construction.”
Stage one of the Parramatta Light Rail project will connect Westmead to Carlingford via Parramatta and Camellia, along a 12-kilometre, two-way route including 16 stops.
The current estimate is the line will open in 2023, with trams moving at least 250 passengers and operating every 7.5 minutes during peak. Transport for NSW expects roughly 30,000 people to use the service every day by 2026.
The work under the Diona Ward Joint Venture is expected to begin in late 2018.
The contract is the second of four major contracts to deliver and operate stage one of Parramatta Light Rail. It follows a contract to remediate the planned light rail depot site, which was awarded in April 2018.
Contracts to deliver Infrastructure Works, and Supply, Operate and Maintain the Parramatta Light Rail are currently out to tender and will be awarded by the end of this year, Transport for NSW said.