NEXT STOP ON THE M1 TO RAYMOND TERRACE PROJECT WELCOME

The region’s peak business organisation, Business Hunter has welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement that a Registration of Interest process had been launched on 18 October – the next stop on the welcome M1 to Raymond Terrace extension journey.

Business Hunter CEO, Bob Hawes, said the announcement today made the pathway for the M1 extension project much clearer.

“As our region looks for economic stimulus to help us on the road to recovery in this COVID mess, it’s a welcome next step for the Commonwealth to be opening the gates to registrations of interest today,” Mr Hawes said.

Mr Hawes said that the major project totalled close to $2billion across NSW and Commonwealth funding, and would therefore attract interest from the large, primary contractors, which would unlock medium and smaller scale delivery projects from within the primary contract for Hunter businesses.

“Like all major capital projects at this scale, it’s the pipeline of subcontract work that the project will open up that is the real opportunity for our local businesses who will have the advantage of proximity to this massive project,” Mr Hawes said.

“We’ll be following the ROI announced today and the Request for Tender commencing in January 2022 to ensure our members, local construction firms and civil contractors can take up the opportunities this major project offers them.

“We want our region to capitalise on the whole-of-project economic pipeline.

“Notwithstanding the announcement today, we understand actual works are unlikely to start until 2023. Given the complexity of this massive project, its pleasing to see the delivery arrangements are being progressed alongside the continual planning and design processes, rather than taking a linear project delivery approach,” Mr Hawes said.