West Gate Tunnel

Transporting 72 bridge crossheads, each weighing over 140 tonnes, required a fully engineered logistics solution. ARES designed custom transport frames and modified heavy haul trailer configurations to lower the centre of gravity and evenly distribute the load. Night-time convoys, supported by accredited pilot vehicles, VMS boards and controlled speeds as low as 5 km/h over bridges and culverts, ensured the safe and efficient delivery of the heaviest oversized loads ARES has transported.

The Super Tee bridge beams combined serious weight with awkward length, up to 80 tonnes and 24 metres. No standard trailer could handle both at once. We ran a four-axle low loader at the front and a jinker trailer at the rear, which solved the weight and the dimensions in one configuration.

We delivered the transport and offloading solution for 17 match cast segments, each weighing up to 80 tonnes (1,400+ tonnes total).
Bespoke standing frame and offloading systems eliminated the need for cranes, minimised weather delays and downtime, and maximised turnaround efficiency through safe, streamlined storage and handling operations.

The bridge planks were the only components not coming from Benalla. Made in Echuca and up to 25 metres long, they took a winding route through Shepparton and Seymour into Melbourne, without a direct Hume Highway link. Our extendable trailers handled them easily. They are built to carry 70-metre wind turbine blades, so 25-metre planks were never going to be a stretch.