Massive crawler crane gets to work on the East Coast

The NZ Transport Agency’s SH2 Matahorua Gorge Realignment has become the first job for a massive crawler crane

The brand-new 450 tonne crane, recently imported from the US by owners and project subcontractors Concrete Structures, is now in action at the $30 million project just south of Wairoa, and is putting in place the components of the new bridge that will traverse the

The 3.1 km realignment was one of five projects fast-tracked through the government’s Jobs and Growth stimulus package, and as well as the viaduct it includes a ‘road over rail’ overbridge. The project eases the sharp twists and turns of the existing route through the narrow gorge, providing a straighter, shorter journey that will be safer, easier and more reliable for motorists.

The SH2 Matahorua Gorge Realignment is the largest project undertaken on the East Coast for some time, and involves the use of a 450 tonne crawler crane by project subcontractors Concrete Structures

NZTA’s acting regional state highway manager, Gordon Hart, says the size of the crane is a reflection of the Massive crawler crane gets to work on the East Coast The NZ Transport Agency’s SH2 Matahorua Gorge Realignment has become the first job for a massive crawler crane fresh off the boat from the United States. scale of the job. “This is the largest project in this part of the country for a long time, and thanks to the techniques and technology being used by our project team and contractors, we expect it to be complete well within a year from now.” The 150 m viaduct being built with the help of the crane will soar over the gorge, replacing the narrow, twisting route below.

Mr Hart says the larger crane means it will be possible to lift larger and therefore fewer loads when erecting the bridge, which also means less disruption to traffic during construction while the crane is in use. “This realignment will provide relief to all the motorists who use the gorge, and particularly the truckies who have found the gorge’s sharp, narrow turns difficult to negotiate, especially when meeting another truck travelling from the opposite direction. The end result will be a shorter, swifter journey that will reduce the risk of crashes, save both time and petrol, and be less susceptible to road closures.”

Mr Hart says the NZTA has been able to save millions of dollars due to the innovative and cost-effective design of the viaduct proposed by main contractor Downer. “The innovative viaduct design means the project will be cheaper and faster to build than we initially envisaged, while retaining all of its benefits.”

Concrete Structures director, Mike Romanes, says the crane cost $7 million, and can lift up to 450 tonnes. It was commissioned and tested in Rotorua, and required 24 truck loads to bring its components to the Matahorua Gorge Realignment project site. The crane is propelled by a 500 horsepower Cummins turbodiesel engine, which powers nine hydraulic pumps.

The project also represents a first for the NZTA with its use of remote construction monitoring cameras, provided by EarthCam. The cameras capture high-resolution images several times an hour and immediately beam them back via satellite link to EarthCam where they are stored. The wider project team, the NZTA and now the public customers can see the latest progress.

The images automatically capture the progress, and assist the project team and NZTA in managing the project. Eventually time-lapse videos showing historical construction progress can be produced.

Construction of the SH2 Matahorua Gorge Realignment began in October last year and the new section of state highway will be open to traffic in early 2011.

The latest images and information about the project can be viewed at www.nzta. govt.nz/projects/matahorua