Duratec strengthens Princes Highway West bridges to keep industry and communities moving
- A critical strengthening work package on three road bridges along Victoria’s Princes Highway West is now complete
- Situated over a live railway, the upgraded bridges will help to improve reliability and freight access across one of Victoria’s most important transport routes
Delivered as part of the broader Princes Highway corridor upgrade, the works on the Dennington, Allansford and Weerite road bridges focused on extending the service life and load‑carrying capacity of existing bridge structures to meet the demands of modern traffic volumes and heavy vehicle movements.
The Australian Government committed $12.66 million towards the project as part of its $322.9 million investment in the Princes Highway corridor. The road bridge upgrades were delivered in partnership with Transport Victoria.
Awarded in December 2025 and completed in July 2026, the upgrades will enable the lifting of current heavy vehicle restrictions across the three bridges, supporting regional industries, supply chains and tourism.
The scope of the project included:
- Specialist concrete remediation
- Installation of 700 lineal meter of Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates
- Installation of 3,200 connection rods to improve the capacity of structures across three bridges.
- Application of anti‑carbonation protective coatings to reduce long‑term deterioration and enhance durability
In total, the project involved more than 3,700 hours of skilled work with a workforce of up to 15 specialist personnel on site at any one time.
The project was delivered in a highly constrained bridge highway and live operational rail environment, requiring strict safety controls, specialist rail corridor training and frequent work stoppages to safely manage the highway traffic and passing rail traffic.
Ehsan Negahban, Project Manager at Duratec, said:
This project demonstrates the value of remediation over replacement when managing critical infrastructure assets.
Strengthening and repairing these bridges rather than replacing them delivers clear environmental and economic benefits for Victoria, while minimising disruption to rail and road users.
Working in close proximity to active rail lines requires disciplined execution, specialist capability and a strong safety culture, and I’m proud that our team delivered the works safely while maintaining operational continuity.
By focusing on practical engineering solutions in complex, live environments, Duratec continues to partner with asset owners to protect and renew infrastructure that keeps regional communities, freight and tourism moving efficiently and safely.
