Shout out to the construction crew who drove the final pile to complete foundation works on 11 new bridges between Black hill and Raymond Terrace for the M1 Pacific Motorway extension in NSW.
Over the last two years, project teams have installed 278 bridge piles across the 15-kilometre corridor. This includes 173 piles for the 2.6-kilometre viaduct that will span the Hunter River and floodplain.
Sixteen piles were installed directly into the reverbed using heavy lift barges; a complex operation that was delivered efficiently, and safely.
Four of the 11 bridges have opened at Black Hill, Tomago, Raymond Terrace and Heatherbrae while the remaining seven structures including the viaduct will be opened progressively as construction gathers pace, according to the federal minister for infrastructure Catherine King.
“These bridge piles are the literal foundations for the nationally significant M1 extension and getting them in place is a major step forward,” Ms King said.
Finishing the piling on this project is a significant milestone which clears the way for the next phase of high intensity construction.
The $2.24 billion M1 extension project is jointly funded by the Federal and State governments with the Commonwealth contributing $1.792 billion and NSW $448 million.
Image: Final concrete deck pour at Heatherbrae. Source: NSW Government.
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia, at the helm since December 2013, and our weekly news writer since 2016. Focused on concrete and construction for more than 11 years, her expertise in this field forms part of a journalism career spanning three decades. To get in touch please email desi@corbettcomms.com