A joint venture (JV) between Albem Operations and Highway Construction has secured a contract from the Queensland Government in Australia for the duplication of Bill Fulton Bridge on Cairns Western Arterial Road, which is slated to begin in November this year.

The A$34.2m ($25.8m) project is expected to improve the traffic flow, and safety of nearly 30,000 commuters and transport operators, who use this route on an everyday basis.

The project is funded as part of the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's A$180m ($136m) funding for the Duplicating the Bill Fulton Bridge under Significant Regional Infrastructure Projects Programme (SRIPP).

"As per the term of the contract, the JV will be responsible for construction of 120m of new bridge."

It is expected to create 97 jobs during construction.

As per the term of the contract, the JV will be responsible for construction of 120m of new bridge, duplication of 700m of Cairns Western Arterial Road between Brinsmead Road and Redlynch Connection Road and signalisation of the Brinsmead Road intersection.

Bailey said: “Albem has delivered projects in Cairns previously and has a great track record of engaging local suppliers and subcontractors.

“As a joint venture with Highway Construction, these companies have once again shown a positive commitment to generating more work for locals.”

The SRIPP is part of the government’s A$2bn ($1.5bn) State Infrastructure Fund, which is expected to support more than 280 regional jobs.