Ventia secures ‘largest transport project’ in Victoria’s history
Ventia has made a successful bid on the North East Link to assist in Victoria’s largest-ever transport project.
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Firm: Pinsent Masons (Ventia)
Value of the project: $15.8 billion.
Area: Transport.
Key players: The team included partners Adam Perl and Jim Hunwick, associate Jason Feng, lawyer Jesse McNaughton, and paralegal Yuliya Chis.
Deal significance: The project involves significant upgrades and extensions to Melbourne’s freeway network comprising Victoria’s two longest road tunnels, Melbourne’s first dedicated busway and more than 34 kilometres of walking and cycling.
The project is expected to cut travel times between Melbourne’s north and south-east by more than 30 minutes, be used by 135,000 vehicles, and take 15,000 trucks off the road per day.
The deal involved assessing and mitigating the risks for events throughout a 25-plus year project life, negotiating with both the state and consortium members – including a number of foreign-based construction companies – and providing ongoing procurement support for the past two years.
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Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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