M4 westbound closed for four nights to carry perhaps its longest ever cargo
19 Sep 2016
For the last few months it has been a familiar landmark on the M4 Motorway " the 130-metre-long yellow and white launching gantry holding fort adjacent to the westbound carriageway at Auburn. Brought in from the USA via Italy, the launching gantry had been painstakingly positioning giant concrete girders into place on the new suspended overpass for the M4 Widening project. With the installation of girders for the Auburn section of the overpass now complete, the launching gantry has been dismantled and relocated to the western end of the M4 Widening corridor at Parramatta. Project Director Terry Chapman says dismantling and transporting the 240-tonne launching gantry was an engineering and logistical challenge. “This may well be the largest piece of equipment or machinery ever transported along the M4 Motorway,” said Project Director Terry Chapman. “The westbound carriageway of the motorway was closed for four nights this week while the launching gantry was dismantled and its 130-metre-long trusses carefully loaded onto a prime mover and trailer for the slow trip westward. “The motorway may appear straight to the naked eye, however its slight bends meant manoeuvring these giant trusses was a carefully engineered process. “Now that the individual components have been delivered to the western end of the project near Church Street Parramatta, they will be re-assembled so the launching gantry is ready to begin work on that section of the widening project,” he said. The westbound carriageway was closed overnight between Parramatta Road, Concord and Church Street, Parramatta from 11pm until 5am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The closure was necessary so the launching gantry could be gradually dismantled and the giant pieces transported along the motorway. Westbound traffic was diverted onto Parramatta Road during the closures. The new overpass will support an additional two motorway lanes as part of the WestConnex M4 Widening project. Once finished, the widened and extended M4 will allow motorists to travel between Haberfield and the Blue Mountains without stopping at a single traffic light. For the latest traffic information, visit www.livetraffic.com.
