Adelaide contractor, Bianco Precasthas taken out one of the nation's highest building accolades, National Specialist Contractor of the Yearat the National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards on the weekend. .
The award recognises their world-class work on their Darlington Upgrade – bridge over Southern Expressway project as one of the best in building and construction across the country in 2018.
The installation of the first of eight bridges is part of the SA Government's $620 million Darlington Upgrade Project.
In an Australian-first for a civil construction project of this scale, the 'off-line' methodology of bridge construction has been used for these structures involving the 3,000 tonne bridges being constructed off-site and then transported and lifted into place using self-propelled modular transporters.
Three of Adelaide's busiest intersections are located within the Darlington Upgrade Project site with the new bridges improving traffic flow and reducing travel times for vehicles.
The installation of the first bridge was successfully completed well ahead of schedule - installation began on a Friday night and the bridge reached its final position across the Southern Expressway on Sunday morning. Building the bridge off-site and then moving it into its final position removed the need for multiple closures of parts of the Southern Expressway and Main South Road.
According to Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia, innovation and attention to detail set Bianco Precast apart in this category.
"The client could not speak highly enough of Bianco Precast and their commitment to detail. The sheer size of each precast panel and how they were placed together on this bridge took absolute precision," Denita Wawn said.
"The workmanship by Bianco Precast on the Darlington Bridge upgrade could not be faulted," Ian Markos, Chief Executive Officer of Master Builders South Australia said today.
"It is a fitting winner of the national recognition and is an example of SA's building and construction industry's commitment to providing high quality, safe public infrastructure," Mr Markos said.
