Challenging lid lift delivered

Careful planning and top teamwork ensured a successful lift of the four-piece lid for the Taranaki Street Pump Station that BPC is delivering in Wellington.

The lids, ranging in size from 18T to just under 26T, have a combined weight of 88T. A 140T mobile crane was used on the tight central city site, able to lift the largest lid from a radius of 14m.

To achieve this radius, Project Engineer Jacob Walmsley said the crew had to remove some site hoarding and storage containers to widen the slip lane and get the delivery trucks closer to the crane. “We also had to bring in 1.9m x 5.9m swamp pads to adequately spread the load generated through the outriggers for the heaviest lid.”

“Over 70 Drossbach ducts in the precast lids had to line up with the 70+ starter bars sticking out of our pump station capping beam and dividing wall. Our Otaihanga precast team did well to set out all their formwork to the correct radius and ensure all the lids would fit.”