The first concrete segment has been poured for the new Grafton bridge in NSW.
A total of 176 concrete segments will be built at a purpose-built precast concrete yard in South Grafton as part of the or the $240 million NSW Government crossing project.
NSW Nationals MP, Chris Gulaptis, said building the first segment was a significant milestone in the project as it meant the bridge deck would soon start appearing above the Clarence River.
“These segments are 16m wide, 2.4m long and between three and 4.5m tall, weigh between 61 and 75 tonnes, and will eventually form the deck of the bridge,” Mr Gulaptis said.
“They will be stored at the temporary precast yard until the bridge piers are completed, before being installed across the Clarence River from a barge on alternating sides of the bridge piers to balance the load across the pier.
“The segments will then be tied together using thick steel cables and stressing the cables between adjoining sections.”
Mr Gulaptis said the concrete segments were made using two reusable moulds.
“Each of the two moulds are about 18m wide, three metres long, and six metres high, and are fixed to a concrete slab in the precast concrete yard.
“Work is progressing well on the bridge project and it is on track to open to traffic in 2019.”
