The Barwon Heads Bridge is a
road bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
and a separate
pedestrian bridge across the
Barwon River between
Barwon Heads
Barwon Heads (previously known as Point Flinders) is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded t ...
and
Ocean Grove,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia. The bridge is the only crossing of the Barwon River between
Geelong and the river mouth at Barwon Heads.
History
The original timber bridge was the longest surviving example of a timber stringer road bridge in Victoria. It was constructed entirely of timber in 1926–1927, and was a "causeway"-type structure, having a low, flat profile, with closely spaced piers. A 2006 condition report determined that the bridge had reached the end of its effective life and should be replaced.
Description
The new road bridge, which replaced the historic timber bridge, utilised components and design elements of the original Barwon Heads Bridge. The road bridge consists of 34 spans supported by 185 treated timber piles (five timber piles to each pier), galvanised steel I beams and reinforced concrete deck. The piers are spaced to match the original timber bridge. The bridge is long and wide and it carries two traffic lanes.
The new pedestrian bridge is located downstream from the new road bridge. It is a modern concrete bridge with spans supported by one pile per pier.
Construction of the bridge began in May 2009 and it was completed and opened to traffic in December 2010.
References
External links
Bridge Project official webpageVicRoads Bridge Project newsletterBridge Project Heritage Permit Application
Road bridges in Victoria (Australia)
Pedestrian bridges in Australia
Bridges completed in 2010
Beam bridges
Bellarine Peninsula
2010 establishments in Australia
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