Road to Rail - Tonkin Gap Project (WA)

“From Road to Rail: How Heavy Lifting Helped Unlock the Tonkin Gap Project”

Bridge Beams, Dive Structures, and Compliance in WA’s Most Transformational Corridor Upgrade

The Tonkin Gap Project in Western Australia is more than just a road widening—it’s a full-scale infrastructure transformation. With works spanning highway, rail, pedestrian, and active transport modes, the project delivers key upgrades through Bayswater, Redcliffe, and Malaga, easing congestion while laying the groundwork for the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line.

Behind the scenes, heavy lifting operations—both literal and logistical—played a crucial role. From installing bridge beams and dive structures, to placing culverts and retaining walls, each lift was a high-stakes operation governed by precision, safety, and multi-agency coordination.

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What We Lifted and Why It Mattered

1.

Bridge Beams at Broun Avenue

  • Purpose: To support the future Morley Station and road access above

  • Challenge: Night closures, tight windows, and minimal tolerance over live roads

  • Lift Strategy: Dual-crane beam installs with hydraulic spreaders and outrigger pressure modeling

2.

Dive Structures and Rail Underpasses

  • Purpose: To allow the Morley–Ellenbrook Line to dip below Tonkin Highway for seamless entry into the median

  • Challenge: Confined lift zones, excavation-adjacent outrigger setup, and extreme accuracy

  • Lift Strategy: Heavy precast units placed with 250t–450t cranes under live rail safety protocols

3.

Retaining Walls & Culvert Modules

  • Purpose: To protect rail alignment, manage drainage, and define pedestrian corridors

  • Challenge: Repetitive but tolerance-sensitive lifts on angled, staged terrain

  • Lift Strategy: High-cycle daily lifts using a combination of 100t–200t mobile cranes and rotating head gear

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Key Lessons from Tonkin Gap

1. Road-Rail Interfaces Multiply Complexity

  • Every lift impacted multiple stakeholders—Main Roads WA, METRONET, PTA, and civil contractors.

  • Lesson: We embedded our lift team into the contractor workflow, using joint risk assessments and live review tools to avoid surprises.

2. Night Possession Windows Leave No Room for Delay

  • Major lifts had to be done overnight, often with as little as 4 hours of working time.

  • Lesson: Every lift was rehearsed and preloaded. We even built “mock rig ups” offsite to test angles and hoist speeds before arrival.

3. Rail-Safe Zones Dictate Crane Selection—Not Just Load Charts

  • Cranes had to meet strict PTA and ARTC rules, including non-intrusion into rail danger zones.

  • Lesson: Sometimes we used smaller cranes and longer slings just to comply with rail clearance limits—even if it required a more complex rig.

4. Bridge Lifting in Urban Corridors Demands Predictability

  • Broun Avenue and Redcliffe access points are high-traffic, public-facing locations.

  • Lesson: We incorporated real-time traffic control with our lifting crews, with designated shut-down triggers linked to VicRoads and live feeds.

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Conclusion: More Than Just Steel in the Air

The Tonkin Gap Project proved that modern infrastructure lifting isn’t about muscle—it’s about precision, planning, and multi-modal awareness. Whether it was for a bridge beam, a culvert, or a dive structure, every lift was a contribution to connecting Perth’s future rail with its present roads.