Hundreds of concrete elements will go into the Marchbanks Road bridge in central Victoria, one of three new structures built over lowered railway tracks in Broadford.
Work commenced on 16 August on the Inland Rail project to build a new higher bridge with sufficient clearance for double-stacked freight trains. The other two sites are Short Street and Hamilton Street.
The new Marchbanks Road bridge replaces a previous structure that will be 3.7 metres higher and 11 metres wider than the existing bridge, Inland Rail stated.
Almost 90 concrete piles will provide the foundation for the bridge, according to Inland Rail, and 165 precast concrete structures will form the bridge walls and barriers. The bridge works are expected to take until mid-October 2026.
Haywards in Tasmania has fabricated four girders that will form the backbone of the bridge. Each beam spans more than 60 metres, and together they weigh 600 tonnes. The company, whose origins go back to 1965, is located south of Launceston but often works on contracts in Victoria.
John Holland is Inland Rail’s construction partner on the demolition and rebuild project in Broadford, part of the Tranche 2 contract with eight sites between Benalla and Wandong. The project is part of Victoria’s 262km Beveridge to Albury section of the Inland Rail line.
Image: Inland Rail’s Marchbanks Road bridge preparations.
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. Her expertise in this field forms part of a journalism career spanning three decades. To get in touch please email desi@corbettcomms.com