Bridges

Sydney’s ANZAC Bridge was recently the subject of a maintenance project which addressed four main areas to improve the future performance of the structure. These areas were: stay cable improvements; access improvements; fencing and temporary works. The stay cable improvement works included rating of the stay and deck capacity.During the project design phase it was noted that the live load outlined in the current Australian design code, although relevant for shorter-span bridges, would not be an accurate representation for a long-span bridge of this nature. This is because for long-span bridges the probability of the presence of multiple heavy vehicles in traffic queues governs the live load.To determine an appropriate live load to achieve best value for the client, it was recommended that a Bridge Specific Assessment of Live Load (BSALL) be undertaken. BSALL is an internationally recognised, probabilistic load assessment method based on statistical analysis of traffic data. Undertaking a BSALL for ANZAC Bridge resulted in a considerable reduction in live loading.This paper focuses on the development of the BSALL for ANZAC Bridge.