Clough, as part of Acciona Clough Joint Venture (ACJV), says it has been awarded by Main Roads WA the construction of Great Northern highway road over rail bridge and access road intersection for the Rio Tinto-owned Koodaideri iron ore mine in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The scope of works includes the construction of 3.6 km of road for the approaches to the bridge over rail, the construction of the bridge over rail, and construction of side road upgrades of the Great Northern Highway and Koodaideri Mine Access Road intersection, Clough said. This is the second transportation infrastructure project awarded to ACJV this year – the first being a civil works contract for the construction of the northern rail formation for Koodaideri.

Clough CEO and Managing Director, Peter Bennett, said: “Our history with Main Roads started in 1957 and we are proud to continue being part of the ongoing development of WA’s transport infrastructure.”

Koodaideri will deliver a new production hub for Rio Tinto’s iron ore business in the Pilbara, incorporating a processing plant and infrastructure including a 166 km rail line connecting the mine to the existing network.

Construction on Koodaideri Phase 1 started this year with first production expected in late 2021. Once complete, the mine will have an annual capacity of 43 Mt, underpinning production of the company’s flagship iron ore product, Pilbara Blend. The project will help sustain Rio Tinto’s existing production capacity by replacing depletion elsewhere in the system, the miner says.