Olympics Construction On Target
29 October 1997. Story by: Engineers AustraliaA key piece of Olympics infrastructure and at $6.3 million one of the most expensive ferry wharves yet to be built in Sydney, the Homebush Bay Wharf, was opened by the NSW minister for the Olympics, Michael Knight (pictured), last month.
Six regular Rivercat ferry services are now calling at the wharf daily to deliver excursion groups onto buses for tours of the Olympic Games site. The ferry trip from Circular Quay in the city takes just 30 minutes.
However, during the Olympics the ferries will be restricted, for reasons of limited capacity and security, to athletes, Olympic officials and VIPs.
The wharf is located at the end of Bennelong Rd, Homebush Bay, has standing room for 800 people and seating for 75. There is a covered walkway to the jetty and a bus setdown area for three buses.
Special features of the wharf include:
- an adjustable pontoon to suit a variety of vessels
- toilets with baby change facilities
- separation of departing and arriving passengers
- glass partitions in the waiting area to provide weather protection.
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| The Sydney Rivercat Nicole Stevenson at Homebush Bay Wharf |
The showring grandstands on the Showground site are now well advanced |
The Olympic Coordination Authority's (OCA's) acting director general and executive director of development, Bob Leece, said more than 80% of the construction contracts, worth $2.6 billion, have now been awarded for the Olympics and spending has reached $3 million a day.
He said the $388 million Sydney Showground will be the first new facility to be completed (pictured). The workforce on the 30ha Showground site has reached 1200 and spending has reached $1.5 million a day.
The Showground is on schedule to be finished early next year, well before the 1998 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
The Showground pavilions will house five Olympic and eight Paralympic sports as well as the main press centre for the games.
In front of the Showground is the Olympic Park Railway Station, which is now well advanced and is expected to be fully operational in time for next Easter. 5km of new track connect the station to Sydney's rail network. The station will have a throughput of up to 50,000 people an hour during the games. The station is in the middle of the site with quick access to the Showground, the Sydney International Athletic and Aquatic Centres and the Olympic Stadium.
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| A closeup of one of the thrust blocks anchoring the arched steel trusses which will support the stadium roof |
NSW Olympics Minister Michael Knight (L) and acting OCA director general Bob Leece |
The Olympic Stadium itself reached a construction milestone recently with the erection of the grandstand roof trusses. Each truss was erected in three pieces with the centre piece placed in a gap with only 30mm tolerance on each side. This 150t component, approximately 100m long, was lifted into position at 6 o'clock one morning to ensure the tolerance was at a maximum. Once in position the construction team had to wait for a 22oC day to allow the steel to expand sufficiently to allow the final welds to be completed.
Currently the steel framing and the precast concrete slabs which will support the upper seating tiers are being erected and work on the north and south temporary stands (for Olympic Games mode) is now under way. Footings have been poured and the main structural cores started.
Current services work includes the installation of ducting and wiring for the stadium. The substations for the stadium are due to be energised next April.
The stadium construction program is on target with completion expected in March 1999. Construction of the last significant piece of Olympics infrastructure, the Athlete's Village, started in July this year. Following the games the Village will become part of a new Sydney suburb housing 5000 and will include retail and commercial facilities, a school and a business park. During the Olympics it will house 15,300 athletes and officials, and during the Paralympics it will house 7000 athletes and officials.
Other significant work at Homebush Bay includes the laying of electric cable underground to replace overhead lines and the building of 11km of new roads. The centrepiece of the road system will be the 1.5km-long Olympic Boulevard which will run between the Stadium and the Showground. It will provide the spine or axis for the site, said Leece.
Cool Running Australia 29.10.97. Reproduced with permission from Engineers Australia. This article first appeared in the Engineers Australia, October 1997.
