Lend Lease Engineering has received a design and build contract for the A$1.162bn ($889m) Gateway Upgrade North project in Queensland, Australia.

For this project, the Australian and Queensland Governments have committed up to A$929.58m ($711m) and A$232.42m ($178m) respectively.

Work under the project will include widening an 11km section of the motorway from four to six lanes between Nudgee and Bracken Ridge, an upgrade of the Nudgee Road interchange, as well as widening the Deagon Deviation to two lanes in each direction.

“This project will reduce congestion and improve safety for more than 80,000 drivers.”

This infrastructure upgrade is expected to fix one of the state’s most congested motorways which forms a vital link between key freight hubs, such as the Port of Brisbane and the Brisbane Airport.

Assistant minister for infrastructure and regional development Jamie Briggs said: “This project will reduce congestion and improve safety for more than 80,000 drivers using the northern section of the Gateway Motorway daily.

“The addition of two extra lanes will significantly increase productivity, saving freight operators time and money and ultimately improving Australia’s freight competitiveness.

“Last year, the Australian Government delivered the biggest infrastructure investment in the state’s history to build world-class projects like the Gateway Motorway North, and the multibillion dollar Bruce Highway upgrade and the Toowoomba Bypass.”

This upgrade will save travel time for drivers, as well as generate a vast number of jobs over the life of the project.

Scheduled to be completed in late 2018, the upgrade will improve road safety and the movement of freight along the national road network.