A major lift on Brisbane's Kangaroo Point Bridge

Kangaroo Point Bridge has reached a new construction milestone with the final piece of the 95-metre-tall mast centrepiece installed by Marr Contracting’s M2480D tower crane working on the project.

Located on Brisbane’s busy river, the key challenge for the project was how to construct the bridge mast while minimising potential impacts on the public ferries and private vessels that use the Brisbane River daily.

The BESIX Watpac-led consortium, Connect Brisbane, who is delivering the project on behalf of Brisbane City Council, engaged Marr early in the design phase to develop a lifting strategy that supported their preferred construction methodology and addressed the challenges of constructing the 95-metre-tall mast.

According to BESIX Watpac Project Director, Rowan Riggall, “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.”

Working with Marr’s Brisbane-based engineers, 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 platform in the middle of Brisbane River.

This configuration allowed the 25-metre-tall pre-fabricated 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 approach of crawler cranes.

The lift was the heaviest to be undertaken as part of Marr’s scope of work including more than 10 major lifts and general construction lifting requirements over a period of 12 months.

“Reaping the benefits of modularised construction with fewer, heavier lifts is not only helping to deliver a safer, more productive site; but also allowing our client to share the economic benefit delivered by the project by engaging more South East Queensland businesses away from the workfront,” said Marr’s Managing Director, Simon Marr.

[edit] ABOUT KANGAROO POINT BRIDGE

An initiative by Brisbane City Council, the Kangaroo Point Bridge will be an iconic landmark destination connecting Brisbane’s CBD and eastern suburbs.

At a length of 460 metres, the bridge will be among the longest span cable stay pedestrian and cycle bridges in the world and a must-visit destination in Brisbane.

In June 2021, Brisbane City Council awarded the contract to design and construct the Bridge to the Connect Brisbane, following a detailed procurement process.

Led by BESIX Watpac, the Connect Brisbane consortium consists of bridge design, engineering and construction specialists including Rizzani de Eccher, WSP, Dissing + Weitling, Blight Rayner, Aspect Studios, Right Angle Studios and Rowland.

Construction of the Kangaroo Point Bridge is anticipated to be completed in 2024.

--Marr Contracting

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Amazing cranes.
• Avoiding crane collapses.
• Banksman.
• Bituminous mixing and laying plant.
• Cherry pickers.
• Compressed air plant.
• Concreting plant.
• Construction plant.
• Construction tools.
• Counterweights.
• Cranes.
• Crane supports.
• Crane regulations.
• Driving and riding safely for work.
• Earth-moving plant.
• Electromagnetic overhead cranes.
• Equipment in buildings.
• Excavating plant.
• Forklift truck.
• Gantry.
• Hoists.
• Lifting device.
• Pulley.
• Rubble chute.
• Scaffolding.
• Scissor lift.
• Site storage.
• Stacker.
• Temporary works.
• Types of crane.
• Winch.
• Work at height.
• Work at height regulations.