Eifers announced its lightweight cellular concrete has supported a 900-tonne crane during a bridge beam installation on Victoria’s Eastern Freeway Burke to Tram Alliance (EBTA) project.
The crane was positioned on Ecofil 30, a proprietary lightweight cellular concrete supplied by Eifers, which had cured for 14 days when it was used to support the lifting of a 70-tonne SuperT bridge beam.
According to Eifers, Ecofil 30 has a target density of about 480 kg/m³, approximately one-fifth the weight of conventional concrete, and a specified 28-day compressive strength of 0.75 MPa.
“This project shows what’s possible when you combine the right material, the right production model, and a client willing to trust the engineering,” said Matt Eifermann, Eifers General Manager. “Ecofil is genuinely changing what’s possible in civil construction.”
Eifers supplied more than 46,582 cubic metres of Ecofil 30 across 15 pour locations along the Eastern Freeway corridor. The company said it recorded no non-conformance reports across more than 100 NATA-accredited compressive strength tests and no rework across the lightweight fill applications.
Testing by NATA-accredited laboratory partner Coffey Testing found compressive strengths ranging from 147% to 213% of the 0.75 MPa specification minimum, with an average of about 1.2 MPa at 28 days, Eifers said.
The material was used above existing culverts, behind retaining walls, around bridge interfaces and over sensitive services, where the project required reduced dead loads and protection of existing infrastructure.
Eifers said Ecofil 30 was produced on site using its CC200 Cellular Concrete Mobile Batching Plant. The company describes the unit as the only production system of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, with a production capacity of up to 150 cubic metres per hour.
The company said its on-site production model reduced truck movements by about 90% compared with conventional ready-mix supply. Across the EBTA scope, Eifers estimated the approach avoided about 4,263 tonnes of CO?-e emissions, including through the use of Adbri EVOCEM Type GL cement.
The Ecofil 30 mix was developed by Eifers National Technical Manager Glenn Carson in collaboration with the company’s engineering team.
The project was also recognised at the 2026 CCF Victoria Earth Awards on 21 August, where Eifers was announced as the winner of the Project Value Category of $5 million to $10 million.
“This award reflects the work of everyone on the Eifers team who contributed to EBTA, from engineering, production and quality through to the crews delivering pours across the corridor every day,” Eifermann said.
Eifers was contracted by the EBTA alliance, a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke Australia and Symal Infrastructure, acting for Major Road Projects Victoria, with WSP and Arcadis as design partners.
As a state category winner, Eifers is now an eligible finalist for the National Earth Awards in Canberra on 27 November 2026.
