Global engineered heavy lifting specialist, Mammoet, has successfully installed the 300-tonne Breakfast Creek/Yowoggera Bridge in Brisbane, Queensland.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news from Australasia’s lifting industry.
- Don’t miss a lift and subscribe to our monthly magazine.
- Download our latest digital magazine to catch up on the biggest news and developments in the crane industry.
Commissioned by Brisbane City Council and being delivered by the Brady marine and Civil and Georgiou Group joint venture (GBJV), Mammoet was subsequently subcontracted to install the 300-tonne, 80m-long structure, following on from its works on the Matagarup Bridge over Swan River in Perth, Danube Bridge in Linz, Austria, and the Wellsburg Bridge in Western Virginia.
The main challenge for this project was ensuring the stability of the structure was maintained during transport and installation. Furthermore, as the structure needed to be moved from the Port of Brisbane, along the Brisbane River, and then installed onto its foundation over Breakfast Creek, minimal disruption to marine traffic, adhering to tight schedules, and upholding of stringent safety and environmental standards were top of the agenda for the engineered heavy lifting specialist.
To complete its scope of work, Mammoet utilised climbing jacks, 32 axle lines of SPMT, and a barge. Mammoet’s engineers conducted extensive feasibility studies to determine the best approach for bridge installation and tailored a solution precisely to the project’s unique requirements, analysing weight, dimensions, and configuration of the bridge to determine the most appropriate equipment.
The project unfolded in a carefully planned sequence of phases. Mobilisation and equipment setup at the Port of Brisbane marked the beginning, where the structure was raised to a suitable transport height using a series of climbing jacks, ranging from 100 tonnes to 150 tonnes and placed onto an SPMT configuration.
With the structure safely secured on 32 axle lines of SPMT, it was transferred onto a barge via a Roll On Roll Off operation, ready for marine transport from the Port of Brisbane upriver to Breakfast Creek.
Upon arrival and positioning of the barge, timed to coincide with the beginning of the outgoing tide, the load was carefully lowered onto pre-set temporary supports using the SPMTs. Leveraging the SPMT’s manoeuvrability, the team ensured seamless positioning and facilitated the lowering onto Mammoet’s temporary supports, enabling the release of the barge. Employing 150-tonne climbing jacks, the bridge was then carefully lowered onto a tailor-made alignment frame, ensuring precise positioning of the structure onto its bearings. Once the surveyor gave the sign-off, confirming the positioning, the 250-tonne low-profile jacks lowered the bridge onto its foundation. Throughout all phases, according to Mammoet, safety and compliance remained paramount, ensuring stability even amid fluctuating tides.
The result was a successful installation, completed on time with minimal disruption to the local marine and no impact on adjacent road traffic. The bridge, now officially inaugurated as the Breakfast Creek / Yowoggera Bridge, serves as a vital link in Brisbane’s infrastructure. Thousands of residents and visitors are now privy to the extended Lores Bonney Riverwalk, enjoying enhanced commuting and leisure opportunities along the riverbanks.
It will also play a major role during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, providing a key active transport connection to the athletes’ village at Northshore Hamilton.
The bridge, part of the city’s bridges program, aims to bolster pedestrian and cycling links across the river and enhance transport connections between the inner city and its growing northern suburbs. With the bridge serving as a key connection to the local community, the pressure was on to ensure swift, yet seamless construction according to the global heavy lifting powerhouse.
READ MORE:
- 3200-tonne ring crane redeployed by Mammoet.
- Mammoet’s Move3D facilitates complex ball-mill exchange at Australian refinery.
- Mammoet shifts 850-tonne module with zero emissions.