Global construction company Jacobs Engineering Group has been appointed as a member of the Fulton Hogan Seymour Whyte Joint Venture (FHSW JV) to support the Bruce Highway upgrade project in Australia.

As a member of the JV, Jacobs will provide design services for the Bruce Highway upgrade, which includes Caloundra Road to Sunshine Motorway in Queensland, Australia.

The $860m project works include upgrading the highway to six lanes and delivering major upgrades of the Caloundra Road and Sunshine Motorway interchanges, which is reported to be one of Queensland’s highest priority road projects.

"The primary objective of the DDI design is to reduce traffic congestion levels, as well as improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists."

Jacobs senior-vice president buildings and infrastructure Patrick Hill: “We’re delighted to be a member of the FHSW Joint Venture and contribute our world class design expertise to this important transport project for Queensland and Australia.

“We look forward to working closely with our joint venture partners and the Queensland Government over the coming years.”

The FHSW JV, which consists of Fulton Hogan, Seymour Whyte Group and designers Jacobs and Arup, will perform the upgrade work on behalf of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

The JV developed a distinctive design solution for the project that includes a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) at Caloundra Road, which is reported to be built for the first of its kind construction carried out in Australia.

The primary objective of the DDI design is to reduce traffic congestion levels as well as improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

Detailed design has commenced, with major construction expected to begin in mid-2017. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2020.