HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KBR (NYSE: KBR) announced today it has been awarded a design services contract for road and rail works at the Port of Esperance in Western Australia as part of the overall $120 million upgrade. The upgrade will facilitate future growth of the port and greatly improve safety for all users by separating local traffic from road and rail freight.

KBR, as a consultant to John Holland, will provide detailed design to grade-separate the main road and rail accesses to the port. In addition, the local roads and pedestrian/cyclist facilities will be separated. The design will allow for the later expansion of Harbour Road from two to four lanes. KBR’s scope also covers associated drainage, structures and electrical design.

Under the upgrade, 1.1 miles (1.8 km) of Harbour Road will be realigned to enter the port on the south side of the railway, while the railway will be relocated via a tunnel under Harbour Road to enter the port on the northern side. Two road bridges and a pedestrian/cycle underpass will separate local traffic from the new road and rail line to the port.

By increasing the transport corridor’s capacity, the upgrade will help the Port of Esperance respond to growth in both the resources sector and agriculture, while the community of Esperance will enjoy significantly improved safety and reduced noise. Completion of the upgrade is scheduled for December 2013.

“KBR is pleased to contribute our design expertise to this complex project, which involves overcoming challenges of construction while maintaining port access and traffic flow throughout the project,” said Colin Elliott, President, KBR Infrastructure. “We have a global reputation for safely delivering projects in challenging environments, in this case the design of significant structures in a very confined site.”

KBR is a global engineering, construction, and services company supporting the energy, hydrocarbon, government services, minerals, civil infrastructure, power, industrial, and commercial markets. For more information, visit www.kbr.com.

Editor notes:

• The Port of Esperance currently handles approximately 11 million tons of cargo annually—principally nickel, iron ore and grain—but this volume is predicted to triple over the next decade.
• The existing two-lane access via Harbour Road is already a transport bottleneck, carrying both heavy freight and local traffic, while the adjacent railway line with level crossings compounds the safety risk to all road and rail users, including pedestrians and cyclists.