29/06/2021
The Kimberley Rail Bridge crosses the Mersey River on the North West Rail Line, and is a key arterial structure, carrying 65% of freight traffic as part of the busiest rail line in the state. During the floods, one of four bridge spans collapsed under flood water leaving the single rail line impassable.
Working closely with our customer TasRail, and other key stakeholders, VEC delivered end-to-end repair works to the bridge over a period of five weeks.
Works included geotechnical investigation, design, demolition of the partially collapsed structures, driving steel piles for the new abutment, fabrication of a 45-tonne steel bridge span, construction of 200 metres of rail embankment to a height of 4 metres, track installation and bank protection.
The first train passed over the Kimberley Rail Bridge just 36 days after the floods.