Lead consultants for OH2K and F2E.
Client: Roads and Maritime Services
Industry sector: Transport infrastructure
Services: Heritage management, Lead environmental consultant
Location: Pacific Highway between the Oxley Highway at Port Macquarie and Eungai
About this Project
The project
Niche Environment and Heritage, in association with Bowditch Group and Hills Environmental, was awarded an 8 year contract for environmental services to Roads and Maritime Services for the upgrade of the Pacific Highway between the Oxley Highway at Port Macquarie and Eungai.
The project consists of two sections – Oxley Highway to Kempsey (37.8km of four-lane dual carriageway) and Frederickton to Eungai (26.5km of two lane dual carriageway) and includes a bypass of Telegraph Point, five interchanges and an overpass at Bill Hill Road. In addition there will be several new bridge structures for river, railway and creek crossings. The project has a broad range of environmental challenges.
Our role
Niche brings their experience in road projects to deliver components covering water quality, air quality, soils, noise and vibration, acoustic treatment, traffic management, agriculture, an archaeological excavation and ecological monitoring of threatened species, nest boxes, underpasses and overpasses.
As lead environmental consultants for the OH2K and F2E projects, the Niche team brings together an expert team of 12 specialist environmental and engineering consultancies. Niche, headed by Dr Rhidian Harrington, was also appointed project ecologist for the Hunter Expressway, and has decades of experience in managing the ecological and wider environmental components of major road projects.
The upgrade project will improve highway safety, reduce travel times and improve local access.