Sarens installs steel arch bridge in an 8-hour overnight operation.
Sarens installs steel arch bridge in an 8-hour overnight operation.
Sarens recently manoeuvred and installed a 1425t steel arch bridge over James Ruse Drive in Rosehill, Sydney, New South Wales. The bridge is the state’s second longest steel arch bridge.
Sarens was asked by its client Parramatta Connect to execute the installation of the James Ruse Drive steel arch bridge for the Parramatta Light Rail project.
The project scope included:
Engineering and design of customised temporary lifting assembly of SPMT and strand jacks set-up.
Mobilisation of equipment for temporary lifting assembly.
Lifting and transportation of the bridge arch from fabrication area to installation site.
Lowering of the bridge on temporary bearings of steel arch bridge using SPMT and strand jacks temporary lifting assembly.
The bridge is the state’s second longest steel arch bridge, and will connect light rail users, cyclists and pedestrians when the Parramatta Light Rail opens in 2023.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the biggest of the six bridges being constructed for the project stretches across six lanes of traffic on James Ruse Drive in Rosehill, and accommodates the new light rail and walking and bike-riding path.
“The giant bronze arches are an amazing sight for locals and anyone travelling through the area. The new bridge has the second longest steel arch bridge span in the state, behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge,” Mr Constance said.
“This bridge was assembled on the construction site next to James Ruse Drive, where the fabricated steelwork, each piece weighing up to 60 tonnes, has been assembled to build the 15-metre-high steel arch.”
The Australian-made steelwork for the bridge was fabricated by Western Sydney based company, S&L Steel, before it was transported to Rosehill for assembly.
Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee said the project is committed to using Australian resources wherever possible and supporting local jobs.
“The Australian steel was fabricated in a workshop at Rooty Hill, creating around 50 jobs for Western Sydney,” Dr Lee said.
“The bridge will be a great asset for the local community as it will not only support the new light rail, but it will make it much safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the very busy James Ruse Drive.”
The 1425-tonne steel and concrete structure was moved into position during a weekend closure of James Ruse Drive. The bridge will now be fitted out for light rail and pedestrian and cyclist use.
The Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia, and is expected to commence services in 2023.
The operation and equipment was planned on the basis of an eight-hour window available for project execution, quarantine requirements for COVID-19 protocols, and project timeline. The Saren’s team deployed:
48 axle-lines of Kamag K24 SPMTs with 2 Power Packs
48 axle-lines of Scheurle Gen 3 SPMTs with 2 Power Packs
4 HSL 4500 Strand Jacks
2 x MB 1800 Modular Beams
4 Towers built-up with BS610 Columns and BS324 Bracings
The SPMTs were transported from Malaysia, Vietnam, and Western Australia. Towers, bracings, modular lifting beams, and strand jacks came from Belgium. It took 4 weeks to set-up and functional test all the equipment.
The steel arch bridge weighed 1425-tonnes and measured 64-metres long and 15.87-metres wide. Bog mats were laid along James Ruse Drive to level the travel path of the SPMTs. The bridge was lifted using strand jacks and SPMTs were aligned with a travel path marked on the ground meticulously by operating two SPMTs and strand jacks tower assemblies in synchronization.
Once aligned with the transport path, the bridge was lifted to a height of 11.7 metres using SPMT and strand jacks temporarily lifting and locking it into position ready for transport and installation. On the night of installation, the bridge was transported from fabrication location to final installation position and installed onto the bridge piers during an eight-hour overnight operation. The bridge will now be fitted with light rail tracks and new walking and bike-riding path.
According to Project Manager, Minhaj Rizvi, “Our six crew members on-site and the design experience of our engineering team made this extremely challenging project a success. Despite limited space, challenging schedule for mobilisation, assembly and execution, the bridge was installed in record eight hours.”