The $6.5 billion Brisbane Airport Link tunnel is the first project in Australia to use a new state-of-the-art, fire-rated cable ladder system designed and developed by Korvest’s EzyStrut.

The leading-edge cable ladder – used to carry electric power cables through the centre of the tunnel – took EzyStrut more than two years to design and develop at its Adelaide base.

To meet specific requirements, the equipment must withstand temperatures of over 1200 degrees Celsius for two hours, and not warp or deflect by more than 100mm.

EzyStrut won the tender to supply 15km of its new fire-rated product for the Brisbane Airport Link tunnel – a project involving a 15km high speed and efficient tunnel between Brisbane Airport and the CBD – earlier this year

“We are delighted our cable ladder system was selected for this very important infrastructure project in Queensland,” EzyStrut General Manager, Chris Hartwig, said.

“Critical to our success in winning this tender is our innovative design, and our knowledge of clients’ needs in cable management,” he said.

“This product was designed with simple installation in mind, particularly for tunnel environments, with ancillary equipment like the luminaires also being supported by our ladder system.”

“While extremely strong, the design of the product is also intuitive.

“It is supplied with pre-welded splice plates for the easy linking of ladder sections.

“There are other competitors who have since developed a certified system, but we believe ours is superior in terms of ease of installation and total project cost.”

Chris expects the 15km of cable ladder will take around 12 months to supply.

Due to its specialist design and unique qualities, the system is partially hand fabricated at Korvest’s South Australian plant before being transported to Brisbane.

“The potential for this product is huge,” Chris said.

“While particularly useful for tunnel construction, we can use this equipment wherever a fire rating is required for a cable management system.”