Under a public-private partnership with the Queensland government, BrisConnections was contracted to design, construct, operate, maintain, and finance the Airport Link for a period of 45 years. The concession was awarded on May 19, 2008. The project involves the construction of the Airport Link, the Northern Busway as well as the upgrade of the Airport Roundabout. The Airport Link will be a 6.7-kilometer multi-lane electronic free-flow toll road with dual 5.7-kilometer tunnels. The total cost for the three sections is expected to be $A 4.9 billion. The project is scheduled for completion by mid 2012.
The challenges with this project do not concern the road itself but rather the financing structure and investor class.