Beams by night
Over the course of three nights, seven tee-roff beams were installed at South Western Highway (north) interchange.
Published: 26 June 2023, Updated: 27 June 2023
A collaborative effort saw some of the largest beams on the project installed, bringing the bridge that will take BORR over South Western Highway, closer to completion. These beams are up to 41 metres long, weigh up to 211 tonnes, and required a 750-tonne mobile crane to lift them into place.
All works were completed out of hours (6pm to 6am) to minimise inconveniences to traffic flow. Road closures and traffic management were in place to ensure that the installation could be completed on schedule.
In preparation for the weekend installation, the tee-roff beams were delivered to site the week prior. The large crane was also transported in disassembled components by 17 individual trucks and took four days to assemble on site. 
Tee-roff beams at the site laydown
Tee-roff beam being lifted into place
The construction of the bridge required the beams to be lifted and transported from the site laydown to the designated installation point whilst under the crane radius. Rigging was then connected, and the beams were lifted into their final position.
The sheer size and weight of each beam required two cranes to be utilised: One 750-tonne crane for the installation, and a 250-tonne auxiliary crane, to assist with the rigging and relocation of the main crane, after each beam lift. Temporary propping was used to ensure safety and stability post-installation with the rigging only disconnected once the beam was confirmed to be securely in position.
With this stage of the bridge construction complete, the next steps will be to lift the precast parapet edge panels over the top of the tee-roff beams and secure them in place on both sides of the bridge deck. The team will then commence steel fixing for the deck reinforcement and pouring concrete for the bridge deck.