At Kangaroo Creek Dam, getting from the top of the spillway to the work area below was only half the job. Bardavcol’s crews also needed to step off the route at intervals to reach the slipform working platforms. The spillway was steep, and its gradient changed along the descent. One long stair flight would not have followed the curve or served the points where crews needed to get off.
The spillway’s curved profile dictated the layout. Where the slope changed, a flight that suited one stretch would not necessarily meet the next landing at the right height. The team needed to work out how the flights would connect before the stairs arrived on site.
A landing gives people a level place to move from one flight to the next. At Kangaroo Creek Dam, it also had to meet the deck of the adjoining slipform platform so crews could step directly into the work area.
We modelled the stair route with Bardavcol against the spillway profile in CAD. Combining shorter and longer AdjustaStairs flights let us break the descent into sections that suited the changing grade. The model also showed how each flight would meet the next landing, so the stair layout could be worked out alongside the positions of the slipform platforms.
The stairs ran along one side of the concrete chute between the spillway walls. Crews could use the same route to travel uphill or downhill rather than treating each work area as a separate access problem.
We designed the custom landings with height-adjustable supports and swivel feet to suit the sloping surface. Where the stair route met a working platform, a self-closing side gate provided a defined transfer point. The gate could be configured on either side of the landing, so its position could follow the location of the work area.
You can see the two roles clearly where the stairs run beside the covered slipform deck. The stairs take people along the slope; the landing gives them a way to step across to where the work is happening.
We manufactured and supplied the stair and landing system. Bardavcol developed the installation method and installed it on the spillway. The design included crane lifting points, giving the site team a way to position the sections along the slope as part of its planned lift sequence.
We worked with Bardavcol to design a route using double-width AdjustaStairs flights of different lengths. Custom, height-adjustable landings linked the flights, with gated side access where crews needed to step onto the slipform platforms. The result was one defined route along the spillway, with access to the work areas along the way.
Key Summary
Start with a section drawing and mark where people need to enter, leave and pass each other. Include any point where the stairs must connect to a working platform. Those locations help determine where landings belong before flight lengths are selected.
Check how each landing will be supported, where any side gate needs to open and how the top and bottom steps meet their approaches. Then plan how each section will be brought into position. At Kangaroo Creek Dam, the slope profile and the platform connection points were just as important to the layout as the total height of the descent.
Send SafeSmart your slope profile and access points. We can help you work through where to use standard stair flights and where a custom landing or connection is needed.
Bardavcol delivered the Kangaroo Creek Dam Safety Upgrade for SA Water in the Adelaide Hills. The upgrade widened and strengthened the spillway and strengthened the rock-fill embankment to improve the dam’s resilience to floods and earthquakes. The temporary stairs supported crews working on the spillway during construction.
Civil Construction, Water Infrastructure
Industry
Bardavcol
Location
South Australia
Status
Installed on site
Capability
Temporary stairs and gated landings
Delivery Model
Design, manufacture and supply
Material
