Sturt Road Bridge construction - July 2018

Sturt Road bridge takes shape!

A significant milestone was reached on the weekend for the Darlington Upgrade Project, with the installation of concrete beams for the new Sturt Road bridge.

The beams, each weighing approximately 75 tonnes, form the support for the bridge deck and were lifted in over a 48 hour period.

This Sturt Road bridge is one of eight bridges being constructed as part of the project and is being built using the traditional top- down construction method.

This involves the bridge piers, supporting deck, road pavement, railings and shared use paths being built at the current road surface level.  Once construction of the structure is complete and traffic is moved onto the new bridge, the soil underneath the bridge structure is then excavated in preparation for construction of the lowered motorway. Traffic is maintained at all times during construction by adjusting the alignment of traffic and paths around the main construction zone.

This method is being used for the Flinders Drive, Sturt Road, Sutton Road/Mimosa Terrace, Ayliffes Road (southern section) and Tonsley Boulevard bridges and we have produced a short video showing how this construction process works.