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Across three major weekend freeway closures, the Bulleen team has successfully installed the centre spans for all three flyover bridges, helping connect an upgraded Eastern Freeway to the North East Link tunnels. Each lift brought its own challenges, from one of Australia’s largest crane lifts through to working within increasingly tight constraints around completed structures.
The first lift set the benchmark.
At 100 metres long, 16 metres wide and weighing approximately 1,080 tonnes, the first bridge span was one of the largest and most complex crane lifts in Australian history. Two 800-tonne crawler cranes worked in sync to pick up and carry the span into position, operating at more than 95% of their capacity within an incredibly constrained worksite.
Just months later came the second mega lift.
This time, a 95-metre, 800+ tonne bridge span was moved into position using two self-propelled modular transporters before being lifted by the same dual 800-tonne crawler cranes. With the first mega span and supporting piers in place, clearances were tighter and the operation demanded another level of coordination and precision.
The third and final lift has now completed the centre spans across all three flyover bridges which form the entry and exists for the 6.5km North East Link tunnels in Bulleen. At 456 tonnes, the final lift involved nine steel segments being erected in a single operation, marking the last Bulleen-lead freeway closure required for the mega lift campaign.
While the scale of the three lifts has been impressive, the campaign has always been about maximising each freeway closure by bringing teams together across civil, structures, engineering, safety, logistics and plant to deliver multiple work fronts at once. It's an approach that has helped EBTA keep the broader program moving while minimising disruption for the community.
The scale of the works is transforming the way people move through Bulleen and the surrounding area, making it important to keep the community connected to what’s happening on site and why.
Following the second mega lift milestone, more than 350 locals joined the Eastern Freeway Upgrades team at Bulleen Park & Ride for a community event, with a sausage sizzle, kids’ activities and the chance to meet and learn from some of the people delivering the project. The event provided an opportunity to share more about the importance of the freeway closures, the work taking place across the site and what’s coming next as construction progresses.
With the mega lift campaign now complete, the team is turning its focus to the next phase of delivery. Steel erection continues across the flyovers, alongside a range of civil, structural and roadworks progressing across the site. Several key milestones are also on the horizon as the project moves towards its next major traffic changes later this year. The momentum from the mega lifts is carrying straight into the next stage, with teams continuing to deliver the works safely, efficiently and with the bigger picture firmly in sight.
