Birkenhead Bridge, Port Adelaide

Underslung Proscaf ringlock scaffold beneath the Birkenhead Bridge deck over the Port River, Port Adelaide — Underslung Proscaf ringlock scaffold beneath the Birkenhead Bridge deck, Port River, Port Adelaide.

The job: continuous underside access to the Birkenhead Bridge deck for maintenance works over the Port River. The bridge sits above tidal water in an active navigational corridor, with no ground foundation available, install and dismantle windows constrained by tide tables and traffic scheduling, and drop-object containment over water non-negotiable.

The engineered solution. Epic delivered a Proscaf ringlock scaffold hung from the bridge deck via engineered brackets, with load transferred back through the primary steel. Reaction loads were calculated per span and signed off before mobilisation. Underslung sections spanned typical spans of 5.144 metres, with cantilevered sections extending up to 10.288 metres where geometry required, and reaction loads running between 15.2 kN and 32.5 kN on the longer spans. Debris and tool netting were slung below the working platform to contain any dropped object over the water.

Cantilevered scaffold section at Birkenhead Bridge with the Port River behind — Cantilevered scaffold section at Birkenhead Bridge, engineered against tidal reaction load conditions.

Engineered by DC Engineering (CPEng), with the design set to AS/NZS 1576, AS/NZS 4576 and the AS/NZS 1170 series for structural and wind actions. Delivered for head contractors including Fulton Hogan and McMahon Services. Install and dismantle sequenced against the tide tables and the waterway’s navigational constraints from the site visit stage, with the working programme planned around low-water access windows.