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Capability gap bridged
By Capt Dougie McGuire
Edition 1168, June 14, 2007 |
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Heavy metal: 1CER sappers inspect the framework of a new two-lane bridge built at Robertson Barracks.
Photo by Gnr Shannon Joyce |
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Weighty matter: An Abrams crosses the bridge during a load test.
Photo by Capt Dougie McGuire |
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ARMY engineers have constructed the biggest military bridge ever built on mainland Australia.
The two-lane fixed modular bridge was built at Robertson Barracks to validate the load-
carrying ability of the system.
It was tested with the heaviest vehicles 1 Bde could provide – the 60.1 tonne M1A1 Abrams and a 98.6 tonne combination of a 63 tonne M88 Abrams recovery vehicle on a 35.6 tonne Heavy Tank Transporter.
Acting OC 1CER Maj Michael Say said the engineers had been working with Defence Materiel Organisation to deliver the important capability to Army.
“The sappers have really enjoyed being a part of this project – there’s 165 tonnes of steel out there and it has provided the regiment with the opportunity to undertake a major bridging project,” he said.
It took 35 sappers and DMO staff seven days to build the bridge, designed to replace destroyed bridges and cross gaps on main supply routes to and from the battlefield.
The section built at Robertson Barracks was 51m long, but it could stretch an incredible 1.6km given the time and materiel to build it.
WO2 Al Pepper, SME, who was in overall charge of the project, said the sappers showed a “lot of flexibility because with this being a trial there were a lot of changes in the configuration before we really got started with the build”.
“The boys worked some very long days to get it built,” he said.
But the sappers hardly had time to stand back and admire their creation – after a break for lunch they started pulling it apart again. |
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