Tactix-Sener wins work on Coffs Harbour bypass project

The newly-formed company Tactix-Sener is a key partner supporting lead designer Arcadis in delivering the AU$1.35 billion Ferrovial Gamuda Joint Venture Coffs Harbour bypass main design and construct contract. The contract will deliver the main tunnels, structures, bridges and pavement works which will create a new 12km section of highway and upgrade an existing 2km section of Pacific Highway.

Tactix-Sener, in collaboration with Arcadis, will be responsible for nearly half of the detailed design including some of the project’s most critical elements. They will design all three tunnels and nine of the nineteen bridges. They will also provide Mechanical & Electrical, Intelligent Transportation System, F&L Safety and MEP systems design. The Maintenance & Operational Building and the technical buildings are as well part of Tactix-Sener’s scope.

Tactix-Sener is a leading provider of mass transit, rail, and roads project solutions across Australia. It formed in October 2022, when Spanish engineering group Sener acquired 60 per cent of Australian transport and infrastructure consultancy, Tactix. The combined Tactix-Sener now offers systems assurance and integration services, as well as design, across more than 15 disciplines, from design phase to construction supervision, procurement, testing and commissioning, operations, and maintenance.

Coffs Harbour bypass will provide a four-lane divided highway and is a priority for the Australian and New South Wales governments because of the Pacific Highway’s critical value to Australia’s economy. The bypass will form a key link in this vital piece of the nation’s infrastructure, which connects Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Coffs Harbour is one of Mid North Coast’s largest urban centres, population 75,000. The upgrade is expected to divert 12,000 vehicles from the town centre and help motorists avoid up to 12 sets of traffic lights, cutting travel time by 12 minutes.

The design will minimise the bypass’ impact on biodiversity, including native forests, endangered flora and fauna corridors. It minimises impact on koala habitats on Roberts Hill and Gatelys Road ridgelines, restores sections of native forest, adds 16 fauna crossings, and has a two-hectare wet sclerophyll rainforest exclusion zone, where new plants species have been found.

Coffs Harbour is known as an area with high rainfall, so the bypass is designed to safely divert water away from the pavement surface while safeguarding local flood mitigations.

César Quevedo Galván, Managing Director Infrastructure, Sener Group, said, “The Tactix-Sener team is proud to contribute to this key project that will improve the daily transit for many people, reducing their travel time and increasing their quality of life.”

Ben Neary, CEO of Tactix, said the win was a major coup for the newly formed Tactix-Sener group and was a testament to its strength as a combined force in the Australian market.

“Tactix has a team of 170 of the most skilled engineers, designers and project managers across Australia and now, combined with Sener Group’s international scope in engineering, we provide a winning formula to win work on the nation’s biggest projects. We are excited to see how our new partnership works to win major projects in 2023 and beyond. This is a sign of what’s to come.”

Tactix’s 170 highly skilled and experienced consultants, spanning five cities, deliver road and rail engineering systems, design, project management and assurance to major transport and infrastructure projects across Australia.

Sener Group, with head office in Bilbao, is an international leader in urban transport, rail and roads. It has around 3,000 staff working in aerospace, infrastructure, energy and marine sectors across five continents. Some of its most notable projects include the California high-speed line, the HS2 high-speed line in the United Kingdom, the Toluca-Mexico City intercity train and the Doha metro.

Sener has worked on major projects in Australia since 2016, including Melbourne Metro and Cross River Railway in Brisbanerril Cross River en Brisbane.