The crane came over from Western Australia on more than 100 trucks. Photo: ACT Government.
The new bridge connecting the Molonglo Valley to Belconnen is a big project.
We’re talking $201.2 million, jointly funded by the Australian and ACT governments, 200 metres long, and high enough to survive a one-in-100-year flood of the Molonglo River.
When it’s completed in late 2026, it will be the longest weathering steel bridge in Australia and the tallest road bridge in Canberra.
Each steel girder – and there are 12 of them – measures 40 metres long and had to be trucked individually down from Newcastle.
All of this obviously needed a big crane. The biggest, in fact.
Infrastructure Canberra executive group manager Dave Doctor is almost certain the 143-metre high crane that’s been towering over the Molonglo River for the past three weeks is the biggest ever erected in Canberra.
“It’s hard to confirm definitely, but we’re certainly confident it’s one of the largest cranes that’s ever visited the Territory – 1600-tonne capacity is pretty unusual and we really need that lifting capacity,” he says.
The crane is one of only two in Australia and normally spends its time working on mines in Western Australia.
It’s coming apart. Photo: ACT Government.
Mr Doctor says it came over in pieces on more than 100 trucks, and there was at least a week spent locating it next to the river, and completing “all the checks and balances that have to go into play before we put it into service”.
This week, the process began all over again.
With the southern side’s girders now in place, the crane has to relocate to the other side of the river to lift the girders for the middle and northern sections of the bridge in what’s expected to be a week’s work on its own.
Two smaller – but still “fairly sizable” – mobile cranes have been enlisted to help.
“We spin [the crane] around and effectively mirror the operation with the girders off the southern abutment, and then there are middle beams … which are inserted between the north and the south girders.”
Needless to say, the crane has become a bit of a local tourist attraction, to the point that Infrastructure Canberra has set apart a “dedicated viewing area” in the nearby Namarag Reserve car park.
Eight more girders to go. Photo: ACT Government.
Mr Doctor himself remembers “being drawn to big bits of machinery” and “anything that was yellow” as a kid.
“We got advice from the crane owner and supplier that when they bring equipment of this size and scale into urban environments, it tends to attract a lot of community interest,” Mr Doctor says.
“We’ve certainly seen strong interest in it … Crane enthusiasts, but also just people really interested in bridges and engineering more generally, as well as just the normal levels of public interest in a massive piece of infrastructure.”
The project is a “career highlight” for Mr Doctor.
“We’ve caused the community an imposition in terms of closing Coppins Crossing, but what we leave behind is a piece of infrastructure that will last for decades and generations, and addresses a lot of the issues with Coppins Crossing, being prone to flood events and having to close frequently.
“As the community grows in the Molonglo Valley, it’s really important that we get that infrastructure right.”
