Daracon Group, a construction and civil engineering company that is currently celebrating 40 years of operation, has been named a finalist in two categories of the CCF NSW Earth Awards for 2024.
This recognition celebrates Daracon’s work on the Newcastle Ocean Baths and the Pacific Highway upgrade between Ourimbah Street and Parson Road, Lisarow.
The CCF NSW Earth Awards, organised by the Civil Contractors Federation New South Wales, honour exemplary project delivery that demonstrate project and construction management, innovation, people development and training, quality management, safety management, environmental management, and stakeholder management in construction.
This year’s event will take place at The Star Sydney on 14 June, bringing together industry leaders to acknowledge the best in civil construction.
Daracon’s renovation of the Newcastle Ocean Baths has secured them a finalist spot in the $10M – $30M category.
This project involved a comprehensive overhaul of the historic baths, blending modern construction methodologies with the preservation of the site’s cultural heritage.
The refurbishment has not only revitalised a beloved community asset but also set a benchmark for construction practices in coastal environments.
Daracon’s, Alexendar Massey also took out the Project Manager over $2M category at the 2023 CCF People Awards, for his exceptional project management skills on this project.
In the $75M – $150M category, Daracon has been recognised for their work on the Pacific Highway upgrade between Ourimbah Street and Parson Road in Lisarow.
This major infrastructure project has significantly improved traffic flow and safety along one of the region’s busiest corridors. Upgrading this 1.6km stretch of road has alleviated congestion for approximately 30,000 vehicles daily.
The project included expanding the road to two lanes in each direction, constructing a new bridge over the rail line to replace the narrow existing one, installing new traffic lights, enhancing pedestrian and cycle paths, and improving access to parking at Lisarow Station.
Despite challenges such as COVID-19 lockdowns, Daracon utilised advanced construction methodologies and agile planning techniques to enhance the efficiency of this crucial transport link.
Bringing his expertise to both of these projects, Daracon Project Manager, Ian Currey reflected on his time working on both projects.
“As you can imagine, it’s not every day that you work in a tidal environment, which meant we needed to look at both the long- and short-term forecasts and planned our work accordingly,” Ian said.
“The iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths was a very special project for our teams, especially as we looked after the heritage aspects of the baths during the project works.
“The Lisarow project was a complex one, as the road was very busy and the community had experienced years of on-going construction before we even broke ground, so we tried to be conscious of minimising any impacts to the residents and businesses.
“As a result, we were able to facilitate continuous traffic flow due to a staged bridge construction method, this approach facilitated a seamless traffic switch onto the new bridge before demolition of the old bridge.”
Daracon’s dual finalist status in the CCF NSW Earth Awards underscores their commitment to delivering high-quality projects across the Hunter Valley, Central Coast, North West NSW and Sydney.
Daracon Group Managing Director, Jon Mingay, expressed pride in their achievements.
“Being named a finalist in two categories is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team,” Jon said.
“We are honoured to be recognised alongside the best in the industry and look forward to the awards night.”
IMAGE | Newcastle Ocean Bath’s upgrade
