Raising the bar: Symal delivers one of Australia’s largest lifts

Precision under pressure

While the scale was significant, it was the precision and mindset to push what’s possible that made it happen.

The span’s slight curvature added a layer of complexity, calling for carefully designed temporary works and precise execution on the ground. Two 800-tonne crawler cranes worked in perfect sync, carrying out a highly choreographed pick-and-carry lift at more than 95% of their capacity.

All of this played out within a tight 20-metre footprint—fitting in the 16-metre-wide span, support towers, both cranes with nine-metre tracks and counterweights and all supporting plant and equipment.

Building strong foundations

For a lift of this magnitude, stability and safety rely on a purpose-built hardstand.

Along with the lift, Symal played a critical role in delivering the complex civil works required to prepare, support and reinstate the freeway. Following a full overnight closure, our crews moved quickly to transform the live roadway into a construction-ready worksite.

A 35,000-tonne rock hardstand was constructed to support the cranes, with approximately 3,500 tonnes placed within the first 10 hours of the closure alone. This was built on earlier works, which saw around 32,000 tonnes of material installed in the lead-up to the lift.

Despite unexpected rainfall, the team continued placing close to 3,000 tonnes of rock in wet conditions to keep the program on track, adapting in real time and innovating with intent to maintain progress.

Within the constrained site, crane travel paths, pad extensions and utility protections were installed in stages, often only becoming accessible once the cranes had moved between positions.

Powering progress

The weekend closure was maximised to deliver far more than the lift—accelerating progress while minimising disruption for the community.

Across five shifts, teams progressed with piling, drainage, profiling, asphalting and intelligent transport systems (ITS) works. Building better together to maximise the value of the possession and accelerate the broader program.

By Sunday morning, the bridge span was in place. From there, focus shifted straight to reopening the freeway.

Hardstands were removed using high-production profiling equipment, with 30-tonne articulated dump trucks loaded in as little as 96 seconds. Sweepers and watercarts followed, restoring the carriageways before barriers and line marking were reinstated ahead of the Monday morning peak.

The freeway reopened on schedule—delivering a huge volume of work in a single closure while keeping disruption to a minimum.

Integrated delivery, at scale

This milestone reflects the strength of an integrated delivery model—aligning teams, capability and planning to deliver at scale.

From design and procurement through to planning and execution, the operation was delivered through in-house engineering, safety and construction teams, supported by specialist partners for critical activities.

From early fabrication of the steel girders to constructing pier foundations, coordinating logistics from port to site and assembling the span offline ahead of installation, each element was carefully planned and delivered as part of a fully integrated approach.

Setting the benchmark

As the first and largest of three major lifts, this one sets the tone for what’s ahead.

Demonstrating how complex, large-scale works can be delivered safely within compressed timeframes, maximising impact while minimising disruption for the community.

With more major lifts to come, this achievement builds momentum across the program, delivering at scale and keeping progress moving.