Located between Melbourne and Ballarat, the Lerderderg Bridge is a key piece of Victorian infrastructure, consisting of two bridges, totalling four lanes of traffic.
Major Highway Upgrade Project
As part of the Major Highway Upgrade Project by the Department of Transport (VicRoads), a range of Master Builders Solutions MasterStrength (formerly MasterBrace) products were specified to increase the load-carrying capacity and extend the design life of the bridge by more than 50 years.
MasterStrength Products Utilised
VicRoads utilised four MasterStrength products during the rehabilitation works:
MasterStrength Laminate: Long 100mm wide strips of carbon laminate, bonded to the I-beams to increase the general load-bearing capacity in flexure.
MasterStrength Fibre: A 50cm wide carbon fibre sheet was used to wrap the underside of the bridge to increase the shear strength.
MasterStrength MBar: Pultruded carbon fibre rods, embedded into the bridge deck, providing increased tensile strength over the piers.
MasterStrength 1446: A two-pack, thixotropic epoxy structural adhesive used to bond the MasterStrength products mentioned above to the concrete surfaces of the bridge.
Traffic Management
As each bridge consists of two lanes, traffic was able to continue flowing in both directions while repairs were made to either bridge.
Watch the project reference video below.
Contact Information
To find out more about MasterStrength, contact:
Andrew Sarkady: National Industry Advocate: Civil Infrastructure – Transport
Phone: 0418 530 763
Email: andrew.sarkady@masterbuilders.com