Project Location: Sarawak, Malaysia
Project Type: Large-scale bridge construction
GETO Products: Infrastructure Formwork and Scaffolding including cofferdams, capping beams (bent caps), pier columns, T-beams, balanced cantilever formwork (form travellers), precast parapets, etc.
Project Overview
The Saribas Bridge in Sarawak, Malaysia. Its total line length is approximately 4,693 metres, of which the bridge length is about 2,390 metres. The main bridge spans approximately 1,110 metres, with approach bridges of about 760 metres and 520 metres on each side. The deck structure consists of prestressed concrete T-beams, continuous rigid frames, and prestressed concrete T-beams, with a deck width of approximately 12.4 metres.
As one of the longest main-span bridges of its type in Southeast Asia, the Saribas Bridge features ultra-long pile foundations in water, large pile caps, high piers, and extra-long spans, making construction technically challenging. Upon completion, the bridge will significantly improve local transport and boost regional economic growth.
Project Characteristics
The project involves complex construction environments, including underwater pile foundations, large pile caps, high piers, long-span structures, and continuous rigid frame construction. The formwork system must cover multiple construction stages, placing high demands on steel formwork in terms of strength, accuracy, reusability, and on-site adaptability.
Key technical challenges include:
- Complex T‑beam geometry: The T‑beams are 39.6 metres long with transverse slopes on the cross-section and varying web widths – they are not standard prefabricated components.
- High demands for balanced cantilever construction: A diamond-shaped traveller system is adopted, where the external formwork, soffit formwork, and internal formwork move together with the truss system, requiring close coordination between formwork and the traveller.
- Difficult main segment concreting: For the critical Segment No. 1, a 425‑tonne single-cell prestressed box girder was cast using the balanced cantilever method. This required ensuring structural safety and concrete quality under high-altitude cantilever conditions, while also addressing challenges such as asymmetric construction and alignment of the diaphragm walls in the balanced cantilever segments at Pier 0.
GETO Solution
GETO New Materials provided a comprehensive steel formwork solution for the Saribas Bridge, including a range of customised steel formwork products and full technical support:
- Cofferdam system: Steel formwork combined with precast concrete base slabs, designed to meet deep-water construction requirements.
- Pier column formwork: Elliptical pier columns with custom cross‑sectional dimensions to ensure high-precision construction of tall piers.
- Capping beam formwork: Using climbing cones and corbel‑supported beams, with formwork stripping achieved via release blocks.
- T‑beam precast formwork: Customised design for the 39.6‑metre T‑beams to handle transverse slopes and varying web widths, meeting precast production needs.
- Balanced cantilever traveller formwork: A diamond‑shaped traveller structure, where the truss moves along rails via sliding seats. The external, soffit, and internal formworks advance together with the truss system, enabling efficient casting of cantilever segments.
During the construction of Segment No. 1, GETO assisted the project team in successfully completing the balanced cantilever casting of the 425‑tonne box girder through precise load analysis and rigorous safety control, validating the reliability of cast‑in‑place cantilever technology in complex environments. This successful cast marked the project’s official entry into the main girder construction phase and provided valuable experience for subsequent segment casting.
Project Value
The Saribas Bridge project in Malaysia is a representative case of GETO’s steel formwork systems in large‑scale overseas infrastructure projects. The project covers multiple bridge construction stages: pile caps, pier columns, capping beams, T‑beam precasting, cantilever segment casting, and precast parapets. It fully demonstrates GETO’s ability to provide complete steel formwork packages, customised detailed design, and on‑site technical services for major bridge projects.
With high‑precision, high‑reusability, and highly adaptable steel formwork systems, GETO helped achieve efficient construction of complex bridge structures (including T‑beams with transverse slopes, elliptical pier columns, and coordination with diamond‑shaped travellers). This case also showcases GETO’s solution capabilities in deep‑water construction environments and multi‑process formwork coordination, marking an important milestone in the company’s overseas expansion and global business growth.
The project team is now steadily advancing the construction of subsequent segments. GETO will continue to provide technical support and product assurance to help complete the Saribas Bridge on schedule with high quality.
Leveraging the strong capabilities and brand influence of a listed company, along with years of experience in global expansion, extensive market coverage, and mature cross-border operational capabilities, GETO has established 12 major production bases worldwide and registered the “GETO®” international trademark in 32 countries and regions. Its products are sold to more than 60 countries and regions, including Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, Europe, and North America, as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. The company consistently adheres to its brand philosophy of “Set industry benchmark, create world-renowned brand,” and insists on the high standard of “benchmark demonstration projects” for every project. By delivering “high-quality” products and services, it provides comprehensive “1+N” system solutions for green, new, intelligent buildings, fully creating value for its customers.