Sydney Harbour Bridge – Expedient Bridge Deck Concrete Repairs

Sections of the original concrete pavement (placed circa 1924 to 1931) on the Sydney Harbour Bridge Southern and Northern approaches required replacing due to fatigue and increasing safety issues. Within eleven nights spread across eleven months, the dilapidated slabs were replaced using
our Rapid Set concrete technology.

The scope of works included

• After careful planning we undertook work to demolish each dilapidated slab in highly trafficked areas where conventional traffic control methods were impractical
• During the removal of the existing slabs, careful consideration was given to not damage the existing steel deck utilising a small T1 excavator, handheld jack hammers and a high power handheld vacuum to remove all debris
• In a three hour window, the old concrete was removed and the new pavement was constructed utilising our Rapid Set Cement before reinstating the asphalt
• The Rapid Set Cement achieved a structural strength of greater than 25MPa in 1.5 hour, enabling traffic to resume before the mornings peak traffic flow after each shift

The Results

Prior to employing Rapid Set Cement, steel plates were used until the concrete achieved sufficient compressive strength, posing a major safety concern and hindrance to the public. Rapid Set provided TfNSW with a solution that not only returned the Harbour Bridge to service quicker but also removed any safety issues.