Over the course of 100 years, the Lidcombe Rail Bridge located in Sydney’s Inner West has witnessed a number of transitions. Its longevity can be attributed to a pair of 150t rivet constructed rail beams fashioned to withstand years of use. Unfortunately for the old rail bridge, it was due to undertake its final transition. Railcorp NSW decided that for the safety and well-being of their commuters, the overhead bridge bypassing Olympic Drive needed to be replaced.
In order to achieve their objectives, Railcorp required a company who could offer a complete and comprehensive service facilitating in all three key areas of the project – transportation, lifting and relocation. Following a tender process, Railcorp chose the services of Tutt Bryant Group Limited’s divisions Tutt Bryant Crane Hire (TBCH) and Bradshaw Ultra Heavy Haulage (Bradshaw).
TBCH and Bradshaw were handed the arduous task of transporting and installing two 180t steel constructed rail beams and three 30t pre-cast concrete slabs to form the new rail bridge, and then relocate the obsolete beams for demolition. With the project taking place over the weekend, time constraints meant the entire operation from transportation to disassembly had to be completed within 48-hours, as any longer would result in delays creating havoc for Sydney’s Monday morning commuters.
The enormity of the project and limited timeframe meant pre-planning and efficient execution by TBCH and Bradshaw were vital to the success of the operation. The magnitude of the project presented TBCH and Bradshaw not only with a challenge, but also an opportunity to collaborate their efforts and showcase the capacity of their ‘lift and shift’ operation.