Bentley Digital Twin Drives AU$105 Million in Savings for Melbourne’s M80 Ring Road

• webmaster@construction-property.com
• 14 February 2026
• Construction Focus
• 1502 Views

ACCIONA is setting a new global benchmark for “going digital” in infrastructure, leveraging Bentley Systems’ comprehensive software suite to manage the AU$ 3.8 billion M80 Ring Road Completion project.

By deploying a sophisticated digital twin strategy, the project team has successfully slashed planning times and is on track to mitigate over AU$ 105 million in potential risks and rework.

Faced with the challenge of managing concurrent design and construction amidst live traffic, ACCIONA turned to the Bentley Infrastructure Cloud and ProjectWise to create a Connected Data Environment (CDE). This ecosystem ensures that every stakeholder works from a “single source of truth,” with design updates automatically synchronizing to a live, federated iTwin model.

The integration of these tools has allowed the team to move beyond traditional 3D modeling into a dynamic, time-based 4D environment.

ACCIONA used SYNCHRO 4D Modeler to subdivide complex geometries into specific work zones, aligning them with cost codes and the work breakdown structure. By linking these models directly to the project schedule through SYNCHRO 4D Pro, the team created a multitiered planning strategy.

This enabled everything from macro-level oversight to granular micro-planning for high-risk operations, such as dual-lift bridge installations. The automation capabilities within SYNCHRO accelerated 4D model creation and analysis by 75%, allowing the team to identify 176 potential risks before ground was ever broken.

To bridge the gap between the digital model and the physical site, ACCIONA utilized iTwin Capture to integrate reality meshes and point clouds. This allowed engineers to track site conditions in real-time, enhancing environmental analysis and site safety.

The high-fidelity data also streamlined traffic management approvals, cutting months off the traditional regulatory timeline.

The partnership between ACCIONA’s engineering expertise and Bentley’s software solutions has yielded massive results, including AU$105.8 million in projected savings through risk mitigation and reduced rework.  The project will also remove 19,000 vehicles from local roads daily and add 10 kilometers of new pedestrian paths.

The M80 Ring Road project, scheduled for completion in December 2028, stands as a premier example of how Bentley’s OpenRoads Designer and iTwin ecosystem can turn massive infrastructure challenges into streamlined, sustainable successes.

• iTwin
• ProjectWise
• Bentley Systems
• Synchro 4D
• Infrastructure cloud