It was 16:00 on a Friday afternoon when Sarens in Australia got the call: could we mobilise our team and equipment and be at a job site by 7:00 on Monday morning?

Sarens’ engineering and project management teams immediately sprang to action, working closely with the client throughout the weekend and flying people in from across the country to make it happen. Within a couple of days the crew and equipment were on-site and ready to relocate two heavy concrete girders for the Botany Rail Duplication project.

“Projects like these normally require a few weeks of preparation,” said Michiel de Bodt, Technical Solutions Sales Manager. “However, we knew what we had to do and had the trust of our client to safely execute this job. If we hadn’t delivered, our client would have suffered major delays on their project and we weren’t going to let them down.”

Due to unforeseen issues, the client had had to make last-minute changes to their methodology for transporting the two concrete bridge girders approximately 800 metres along a public road before bringing them within reach of the crane for installation. The first girder measured 20 metres long and weighed close to 160 tonnes, while the second was approximately 18 metres long and weighed about 140 tonnes.

Sarens jumped in with planning and execution, with several parts moving into place at once for what would be a smooth and successful operation. First, we quickly mobilised equipment from a nearby project, using a trusted third party to transport everything to the job site within a day. Working double shifts for the duration of the project, the crew was able to set up the entire system within three 12-hour shifts.

Sarens then used 30 axle lines of K24 SPMTs, powerpack unit, and an Enerpac SBL1100 gantry system to relocate the two girders. Because of the nearby Sydney airport, the team had to stay below a hard ceiling of eight metres maximum, so using a crane was not an option. Instead, Sarens deployed the 1.000-tonne capacity gantry to safely lift the beams up and drive the SPMTs underneath. The beams were then lashed down and transported to their final destination.

The equipment proved ideal for a tight and busy job site, where it could be set up and operated without interfering with surrounding activities. Despite some very tight turns, motor traffic along the route, and a slope, the SPMTs once again proved their versatility. Driving along the main road next to the airport, the crew made good time and arrived at the crane within 30 minutes.

Four crew members worked each shift, loading by day and driving by night. Despite torrential rain on the first day of the project, the biggest challenge was continuously checking and updating planning based on the constantly evolving situation on the very busy job site. 

In the end, this last-minute challenge was a triumph for both Sarens and our client, John Holland. 

“We greatly appreciate your team’s hard work and effort over the last week,” said construction manager Jarod Wakefield. “Truly amazing effort. Very happy with the performance of Sarens over the last week. Thank you!”