M2480D HEAVY LIFTING SOLUTION FOR BRISBANE’S ICONIC SPAN CABLE-STAY BRIDGE
M2480D HEAVY LIFTING SOLUTION FOR BRISBANE’S ICONIC SPAN CABLE-STAY BRIDGE
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Brisbane’s Kangaroo Point Bridge is one of the longest span cable-stay pedestrian and cycle bridges in the world. An initiative of Brisbane City Council, the iconic 460-meter bridge connecting Brisbane’s CBD and eastern suburbs was designed and constructed by the Connect Brisbane consortium*, led by BESIX Watpac.
Connect Brisbane engaged Marr early in the design phase to develop the lifting strategy for the project.
*Led by BESIX Watpac, the Connect Brisbane consortium consisted of bridge design, engineering and construction specialists including Rizzani de Eccher, WSP, Dissing + Weitling, Blight Rayner, Aspect Studios, Right Angle Studios and Rowland.
We work with our clients to find a craneage solution that works – no matter how big or complex the job is.
Marr was contracted to develop a lifting strategy that supported BESIX Watpac’s preferred construction methodology and addressed the project’s key challenges.
Located on Brisbane’s busy river, the main challenge for the project was how to construct the bridge’s 95-metre-tall mast – including the installation of the 25-metre-tall masthead weighing 180 tonnes.
Additional challenges included:
Marr’s previous experience working on the construction of Turkey’s 1915Çanakkale Bridge provided Connect Brisbane with a frame of reference for addressing the challenges of constructing the bridge mast.
Working with BESIX Watpac and our Brisbane-based engineering partners, Robert Bird Group, Marr developed a solution using an M2480D Heavy Lift Luffing (HLL) tower crane with a 64-metre-long boom installed on a piled support platform in the middle of Brisbane River.
This configuration allowed the 25-metre-tall, prefabricated steel masthead weighing 180 tonnes to be lifted to a height of 95 metres – a feat that wouldn’t have been possible using a more traditional lifting approach.
The unique heavy lifting capacity of the M2480D also allowed for other large sections of the bridge, including the mast legs and bridge deck sections, to be lifted into place in single lifts instead of smaller sections that would have required additional site works and welding.
Marr’s scope of work on the project included more than 10 major lifts and general construction lifting requirements – all completed as planned.
By enabling fewer, heavier lifts, our approach allowed BESIX Watpac to adopt their preferred
modularised construction methodology. This not only helped to deliver a safer, more productive site; but also allowed our client to share the economic benefits of the project more broadly by engaging Southeast Queensland businesses away from the work front to deliver products and services such as prefabricated components.
Our in-house engineering team was instrumental in identifying this crane at tender phase as the preferred lifting solution for the project. After comparing barge crane and tower crane options, the team confirmed the M2480D was the most suitable crane in the Australian market capable of lifting the fully assembled mast head.” – Rowan Riggall, Project Director, BESIX Watpac
