Roy Hill has committed $18.66 million to building a single-span rail bridge that carries the Great Northern Highway over the Roy Hill rail line. The bridge will lead into Port Hedland in Western Australia.
The new bridge is designed to replace an existing level crossing, thus eliminating the likelihood of a railroad accident at the intersection.
Roy Hill chief executive Barry Fitzgerald said, “Roy Hill’s trains pass through the intersection up to 13 times a day, with the ore trains taking an average 3.5 minutes to pass through the crossing.
“The construction of this rail bridge will not only remove the risk of a road user collision with one of our trains, but significantly reduce road user travel time and improve traffic flow.”
Each Roy Hill train weighs up to 35,000 tonnes and contains around 236 ore cars.
Fitzgerald said, “The construction of this rail bridge is a demonstration of Roy Hill’s commitment to extend its focus on safety beyond our immediate workplace, to positively contribute to the local communities in which we operate.”
The project is being delivered by Main Roads WA, which has overseen the design, procurement and processes of the project. Main Roads WA will now oversee the construction, future operations and ongoing maintenance of the bridge.
Georgiou Group was also awarded a contract for the bridge construction, while local Aboriginal business Gebro Contracting was appointed project site supervisor.
This is the second project Roy Hill has completed with Main Roads WA and Georgiou. Roy Hill recently invested around $39 million to upgrade 22 kilometres of the Marble Bar Road, from gravel to a fully-sealed highway.
Construction of the bridge is expected to complete by March 2019.