Old monorail saves almost three years of delays for Norwest motorists

Removed from Pitt St in the CBD last year, 60 steel monorail beams are now lying under a road in Norwest after being turned into a road bridge – helping ease the construction impacts of the North West Rail Link. The monorail beams were refurbished in a western Sydney factory and used to build a temporary road bridge at the site of the new Norwest railway station – one of eight new stations on the North West Rail Link. This innovative solution dramatically cut the length of time a key local road had to be closed – from around three years to just three months.

Original plans proposed a lengthy closure of Brookhollow Avenue at the intersection of Norwest Boulevard so the new underground railway station could be built. Instead, a temporary bridge was built at road level and the road then re-opened to traffic late last week.

Now, the excavation of the new station will continue under the bridge, reducing disruptions above ground. Brookhollow Ave was closed for just three months so this bridge could be built – significantly reducing construction impacts on motorists and the nearby community. The 60 monorail beams were welded and refurbished to make 29 bridge girders, weighing between 11 and 17 tonnes each and spanning more than 32 metres in length. They formed the main structural component of the temporary bridge and were lifted into place by a 220 tonne crane during night works in April.

Trucks known as “jinkers” transported the beams from Glendenning, where they were refurbished, to Norwest. These trucks were restricted to moving on public roads between midnight and 5am. The nearby community and businesses were kept fully informed during works.