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Key Deliverables
- Complex demolition
- Earthworks
Project Overview
The Craig Gilbert Bridge was demolished to enable the continued construction of the Southern Interchange entry point to the Northern Connector, marking a significant step in the $885 million Northern Connector project. The Port River Expressway was closed from 7pm, Friday, 24 May, until 5am, Monday, 27 May to allow for the demolition. A total of 1240 tonnes of concrete was demolished from the structure over the weekend, with works occurring continuously during day and night shifts for a duration of 55 hours and an estimated 700-man hours. PREXY was covered with a combination of specialised geotechnical fabric, steel plates and crushed rock to protect the road surface from damage as the bridge was demolished from overhead. The superstructure of the bridge was successfully demolished ahead of program and the PREXY was reopened for public access at 5am, Monday 27 May 2019.
Royal Park Salvage (RPS) was required to manage a number of challenges on this project including:
- 24-hour demolition works on a closed expressway for 55 hours
- Demolition next to the live North-South motorway
- Complex logistics and planning for efficient demolition
- Removal of 5,000 tonnes of fill behind the RE Walls
Outcomes
Program
In order to manage the tight timeframes and re-open the road by 5:00am Monday morning, RPS undertook split shifts into day shift and night shift crews comprising of an average of 30 workers to carry out the works. Works were continuous for 55 hours until the job was complete.
Stakeholder management
RPS and Lend Lease maintained regular weekly workshop meetings with the involvement of the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) in the planning and procurement of this complex and high-profile demolition project for a duration of 6 weeks prior to works commencing. Communication and consultation with stakeholders was a critical component on this project as a major expressway in South Australia was being shut down to accommodate demolition works which would affect thousands of people.
Protection Of Prexy
The road was protected by laying geofabric, steel plates and topped with a 600mm thick rubble pad for plant to work on top of. The pad consisted of 1,200 tonnes and was successful in protecting the road from damage.
Work Next To Live Motorway
The new Northern Connector Bridge over the PREXY was live and in operation during the demolition of the Craig Gilbert Bridge. Traffic was within 10m of the live demolition site which posed a challenge for the demolition works. RPS successfully maintained dust suppression and no disturbance to the public motorway for the duration of the works.