EXTENSIVE GEOTECHNICAL ANALYSIS STARTS AT BADGERYS CREEK

Progress towards a Western Sydney airport continues with the second phase of geotechnical works commencing recently on the site of the proposed airport at Badgerys Creek. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, said the geotechnical drilling is an important step in seeing an airport come to fruition. “The Western Sydney airport will be among the nation’s most impressive civil engineering projects over the next decade,” Mr Truss said. “The Commonwealth-owned land at Badgerys Creek is a large site of around 1,700 hectares and extensive investigation is required to assist in planning for the first stage of an airport. A team of engineers will be at Badgerys Creek to profile the subsoil and rock at several locations.”

More than 100 boreholes of a depth up to 40 metres will be excavated while earthmoving equipment will dig pits up to five metres deep. Extensive geological surveys to understand rock density will also be completed, with samples analysed by the end of the year. Mr Truss said the geotechnical works continue progress towards a Western Sydney airport, which will be a game-changer for both Western Sydney and the country. “In April last year the Australian Government ended decades of uncertainty with our decision that Badgerys Creek will be the site of an airport for Western Sydney,” he said. “The airport will be a major boost for the local economy, creating thousands of jobs during construction and a pipeline of tens of thousands of jobs once the airport commences operation. Work is well underway to develop a commercial proposal for an airport which could be expected to operate from the mid-2020s.”