Drivers will notice a huge piece of machinery soaring high above Footscray Road, lifting concrete segments into place in order to build a new road.
It’s a custom-designed crane, commonly referred to as a launching gantry. Weighing in at 1200 tonnes, and measuring 27m tall and 116m long, the launching gantry will build the 2.5km of elevated road connecting the West Gate Tunnel to Citylink and the CBD.
How does the launching gantry work?
The launching gantry works by lifting 17 pieces of concrete road segments into the air. Weighing approximately 100 tonnes each, the segments are then combined to create one span, or section of road, before the launching gantry moves on to repeat the process.
The launching gantry has started building the road at the westbound side of Footscray Road. It will make its way for 1.2km toward the Maribyrnong River and then change direction, moving to the citybound side of Footscray Road, to construct the inbound road toward CityLink. In total, the machine will travel 2.5km to build 6 new lanes.
Using the launching gantry on Footscray Road
Launching gantries are used around the world in bridge construction, specifically segmental bridges where ground access to the spans may be difficult due to existing infrastructure or bodies of water, or if the height to which the segments must be raised exceeds the reach of ground-based cranes.
It’s being used on Footscray Road due to space limitations and eliminates the need for large cranes. This construction method also means Footscray Road can stay open with less disruption for motorists and allows uninterrupted access to the port for our important freight and logistics industries.
For more information about the launching gantry and other heavy machinery that the Project uses, visit our Elevated road builder and tunnel boring machines webpage.
To discover more about the project, what we are building and how the project will change the way we travel in the west, visit the West Gate Tunnel Project fact sheets section on our website.