Our Williamtown Specialised Pavements and Projects team has achieved remarkable success, completing a major construction project at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Williamtown while maintaining full airfield operations.

This challenging task took place at one of Australia’s busiest defence airfields, adjacent to a commercial airport.

The project involved an enormous effort, including:

  • Placing 210,000 tonnes of asphalt.
  • Removing and replacing the existing runway.
  • Constructing new runway shoulders.
  • Widening taxiways to accommodate larger aircraft.
  • Civil works, drainage, utility relocations, line marking, and airfield ground lighting upgrades.

Spanning over four years, with two years dedicated to meticulous planning during the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase, the team laid a robust foundation for success. The ECI process emphasised buildability and constructability, ensuring a practical and efficient design.

Working in challenging brownfield conditions required redevelopment of existing infrastructure while minimizing disruptions to Defence Base and Newcastle commercial operations. The team faced significant hurdles, including navigating three consecutive La Niña events, which brought heavy and persistent rain.

Despite these challenges, the team planned and executed over 500-night shifts with precision, ensuring the airfield was handed back fully operational and compliant every morning. Remarkably, the project was completed without a single delay.

The successful delivery of the RAAF Base Williamtown project highlights our team's resilience, problem-solving skills, and unwavering commitment to excellence, overcoming obstacles to deliver a world-class result.