OVERVIEW OF TRANSPORTATION PPPs IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Public-private partnerships have been successfully implemented in developing major highway infrastructure in Australia since the early 1990s, when the national and state governments concluded that the public sector could not deliver the level and sophistication of projects needed to expand highway capacity in a timely manner on its own. This led to numerous discussions to engage the public sector in developing, financing, operating, and preserving these additional highway assets. PPPs have been a major factor in developing Sydney's ring road network, as shown in Exhibit 4.1 on the next page.
Public-private partnerships in Australia and New Zealand have been used mainly for the development and operation of toll road projects. While PPPs have also been used to develop public transit infrastructure, in terms of financial viability, these projects have been found to be less than successful. However, social benefits may make up for the reduced level of financial viability, which is not the only measure of success for a PPP project.
Major Australian PPP projects shown in Exhibit 4.1 include the construction of the Sydney Harbor Tunnel (1992), the M4 Motorway (1992), the M5 Motorway (1992), the M2 Motorway (1997), and the Eastern Distributor (2000). Each of these facilities is a fundamental piece in Sydney's road infrastructure. Now, Sydney has the highest number of privately owned lane kilometers than any city in the world. The expected completion of the Westlink M7 Motorway (2006) and the Lane Cove Tunnel (2007) will complete the ring. Both Westlink M7 and Lane Cove Tunnel are also PPP projects.
Exhibit 4.1 Sydney's Motorway Network
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Source: Maunsell of Australia, 2005 |
The next section contains the following in-depth case studies, listed by country:
• Australia
• China
- Country Park Motorway - Hong Kong
• India
- Second Vivekananda Bridge - Kolkata
• Israel
- Yitzhak Rabin Trans-Israel Highway - Tel Aviv
• Argentina
- Rosita-Victoria Bridge - Rosita, Victoria
The chapter concludes with a series of one-page cameos of the following highway and transit capital projects delivered as PPPs in Australia and New Zealand:
• Hills Motorway (M2 Motorway), Australia
• Western Motorway (M4 Motorway), Australia
• South-Western Motorway (M5 Motorway), Australia
• Eastern Distributor (Airport/M1 Motorway), Australia
• Port of Brisbane Motorway, Australia
• Roe Highway, Australia
• Graham Farmer Freeway Tunnel, Australia
• Grafton Gully Project, New Zealand
• Sydney Airport Rail Link, Australia
• Brisbane Airport Rail Link, Australia
Each cameo provides a brief description of the project and its key issues and/or results.