ACCIONA successfully installs major U-Girder for Australia’s Pacific Highway

ACCIONA, as part of the Pacifico Joint Venture, is delivering the upgrade of a 19.5km section of the Pacific Highway -Australia’s busiest route - between Warrell Creek and Nambucca Heads, in New South Wales.

In early March, in a highly complex operation that required maximum safety, speed and pin-point accuracy, ACCIONA successfully installed the first 40m concrete U-Girder on the new Nambucca River Bridge at Macksville “under traffic control stoppages no greater than five minutes”, according to Sebastian Bogaczyk, ACCIONA’s Structures Manager. “The U-Girder was erected with a 600T Crawler Cane, with a specially designed lattice lifting frame and high precision synchronised hoist system to ensure optimum accuracy and safety in the positioning of the girders on the elastomeric bearings”.

The U-Girders, designed specifically for this project, incorporate the highest quality and safety design specifications. “The U-Girders are a new design for the Australian market and after a long a thorough design development, ensuring full compliance with all Australian Standards, were constructed in a purpose built Precast Facility on site”.