September 18 2009

Laing O’Rourke is set to commence work on an eight level car park, which includes provision for ambulatory cancer care services, at the Cairns Base Hospital for Queensland Health.

Demolition work has commenced, the site is being cleared and the design is being finalised.

The $48 million design and construct contract was awarded in August and will run for 43 weeks.

There are provisional sums of about $11 million within the contract for future fit outs to levels one and two of the building to provide the hospital’s future oncology unit.

This component of the contract will be awarded at the client’s discretion at around the half way mark of construction, believed to be February 2010.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser recently inspected the hospital and said the awarding of the construction contracts for the car park and the oncology unit to Laing O’Rourke was a major step forward for the main redevelopment of the hospital.