​Hunter engineering and project management firm, Bridge and Civil, has taken out the top gong for projects between $2 million and $5 million at the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) National Earth Awards for their innovative approach to working on complex sites, which started at a skate shop in Newcastle’s East End.

Bridge and Civil General Manager says embracing innovation and future thinking was the business as usual approach for his team and inspiration can come from the simplest things, in this case it was a skateboard.

“We were engaged by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to replace and repair rail structures across 56 sites throughout the Hunter Valley. The sites had lots of challenges including working at heights, repetitive manual handling in a restrictive workspace, working over waterways and working under live rail traffic.”

“A key element of the project was the installation of walkways on Hunter River bridges at Kooragang and Singleton to provide safe access for bridge inspections. We developed a full-scale 3-D model of the bridge to help identify challenges and consider alternative ways to complete the installation.”

“Our initial idea was to re-purpose an electric skateboard into a trolley, but thankfully the staff at East End Skate pointed us in the direction of local company, Catavolt, to develop an autonomous trolley and trailer to traverse the length of the new walkway carrying components as they were assembled.”

“We were able to significantly reduce the number of people required to complete the build, work outside of rail
closures, reduce the build time from 10 months during scheduled rail possession to six consecutive weeks and
reduce manual handling to mitigate the risk of injury.

ARTC Project Manager commended Bridge and Civil on the way they delivered this project and congratulated them on this well-deserved win.

“It was great to see the Bridge and Civil team plan, consult and develop an innovative and effective approach to mitigate the risks associated with these complex work sites.”

The National Earth Awards recognise excellence in civil construction and are considered the most prestigious award in Australian civil infrastructure.

CCF Chief Executive Officer CHRIS MELHAM says the win in the category for projects valued between $2 million and $5 million, one of six category winners from over 42 finalists for civil construction projects across the country, is a testament to Bridge and Civil.

“The awards showcase businesses performing at the highest level and this project was the only rail project to progress from the state to the national awards. In fact, it was the only rail project to win a national award which is a fantastic achievement.”

The project, now complete, will contribute to track safety and reliability across more than 300km of ARTC’s Hunter Valley rail network.

​Thanks to our project partners for supporting innovation and making this win possible: ARTC, Catavolt, NTJ, Midcoast Engineering and Fabrication, NR Rushbrook Consulting and Solid Engineering.