Sydney's Westlink M7 is the largest urban road project underway anywhere in Australia. So large it needed its own precast factory to specifically supply the concrete bridge segments needed. The factory has created jobs for almost 200 people and will operate for a period of up to two years. During construction of the Westlink M7 144 bridges will be built - 32 requiring a total of 2,750 precast box segments to be delivered to the bridge construction sites. The remainder of the bridges are mostly precast beams (not segmental), with a few being culverts and a few being steel. The 10 million dollars Westlink M7 precast factory at Eastern Creek commenced production in May 2004, and is now in full swing as 111 bridges are simultaneously (amazingly!) under way as you read this. The first bridge to be started, at Camden Valley Way has just been completed. Westlink General Manager, Flan Cleary, said a manufacturing job of this size warranted the construction of an on-site factory dedicated to supplying the project with its bridge requirements. He said: "In order to deliver the Westlink M7 on schedule all aspects of design and construction must be carefully coordinated," "By constructing its own dedicated precast factory, the Abigroup Leighton Joint Venture is able to ensure that bridge segments are manufactured and delivered when they are needed. The project will be less vulnerable to delays due to late delivery of essential elements of construction."
展开▼
