Bridges
- Publication no: ABC2017-029-17
- Published: 20 April 2017
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The Bennelong Bridge located in Western Sydney was opened on May 22nd, 2016 and is a dedicated Transit Way (T-Way) for busses, pedestrians and cyclists connecting the suburbs of Wentworth Point and the Rhodes peninsula.
The bridge forms part of the Wentworth Point Landowners master plan for the developments in the area and received planning approval from the NSW Department of Planning in March 2013. The procurement model saw the bridge funded by the Wentworth Point Landowners, with Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) becoming the ultimate asset owner.
The 305m long, 12m wide bridge consists of a post-tensioned concrete box girder, erected by the balanced cantilever method using match-cast precast segments. Utilising the low elevation of the structure, the bridge was built using a series of temporary props situated on the pile caps to support the balanced cantilever piers throughout construction, providing geometric control prior to stitching of the cantilevers. The D&C team, consisting of VSL - Brady Marine & Civil in Joint Venture with Arup as engineers, worked closely to ensure integration of the temporary works schemes into the permanent works design of the structure.
This paper addresses some of the technical challenges associated with the design of the continuous structure considering the construction sequences, AASHTO construction load cases, Austroads T44/L44 loading and future Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) loading. The paper also outlines the project’s funding model and discusses the possible role of such private investment for future infrastructure projects throughout Australia.