Case Studies

In August 2018, Universal Cranes was contracted by Seymour Whyte to provide detailed lift engineering, on-site lift coordination and supervision and heavy lift cranage for the installation of 64 deck units across two spans for Stage 1 of the Stapley Drive Bridge on the Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes upgrade project. The overpass upgrade is part of the M1 upgrade package from State and Federal Governments worth more than half a billion dollars. The Stapley Drive Bridge is being built alongside the existing overpass at Exit 84 and will replace it as soon as construction is complete. The new bridge will be higher and wider to meet current design standards and traffic flow projections. The deck units of the new bridge were precast off-site, weighed 26.8 tonnes and were 24.46m long, 900mm deep and 596mm wide.

Universal Cranes mobilised our 350t All Terrain Liebherr LTM1350 for the bridge beam placement. A critical element contributing to the difficulty of the lift was the site location. Placement of the spans was above the M1 motorway meaning the lift required night works and partial closure of the M1 to minimise traffic interruption. This required the deck units to be lifted into place under a tight timeframe between 8pm and 4am Sunday through to Thursday.

There were also width restrictions for the setup of the crane with the machine located between temporary pre-stressed concrete barriers. The configuration of the LTM1350 was critical – with limited space the outriggers had to be short but still allow sufficient capacity for the 26.8t bridge beams.  The crane was positioned in the middle of the M1 motorway, with a 75% outrigger configuration and 140t counterweight to enable 39.6t capacity at 21m radius. The Liebherr LTM1350 provided optimal capacity even on short outriggers to install the deck units, providing a cost-effective lifting solution for Seymour Whyte.

The chart allowed a full counterweight configuration which was critical to achieve the required capacity.

Universal Cranes once again utilised the in-house engineered lattice beam spreader. This spreader combines its structural capability with minimal tare mass which is critical in bridge beam handling. The Lattice Spreader and Equalising System within enabled the four lifting lugs positioned at either end to be equally loaded vertically, in accordance with the project specification.

Key Equipment Utilised:

• Liebherr LTM1350-6.1
• In-house designed lattice boom spreader bar system

Check out the Liebherr LTM1350-6.1’s capabilities here, or give us a call to learn more about how Universal Cranes can help with your next project.