Barwon Heads Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Barwon Heads Bridge is a road bridge and a separate pedestrian bridge over the Barwon River
between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove
, Victoria (Australia)
, Australia
. The bridge is the only crossing of the Barwon River between Geelong and the river mouth at
Barwon Heads.
The original timber bridge was the longest surviving example of a timber stringer road bridge in Victoria. It was constructed in 1926-1927 entirely of timber. It was a “causeway” type structure; low and flat in profile with closely spaced piers but long in length. In 2006 condition report it was determined that the bridge has reached the end of its effective life and should be replaced with a new bridge.
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 308.5 m long and 9 m wide and it carries two 3.3 m wide traffic lanes.
The new 4.5 metre wide pedestrian bridge is located 10 metres downstream from the new road bridge. It is a modern concrete bridge with 27 m long spans (to match every third road bridge pier alignment at 9m) 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.
Barwon River (Victoria)
The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...
between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove, Victoria
Ocean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2006 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 11,274.-History:...
, Victoria (Australia)
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The bridge is the only crossing of the Barwon River between Geelong and the river mouth at
Barwon Heads.
The original timber bridge was the longest surviving example of a timber stringer road bridge in Victoria. It was constructed in 1926-1927 entirely of timber. It was a “causeway” type structure; low and flat in profile with closely spaced piers but long in length. In 2006 condition report it was determined that the bridge has reached the end of its effective life and should be replaced with a new bridge.
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 308.5 m long and 9 m wide and it carries two 3.3 m wide traffic lanes.
The new 4.5 metre wide pedestrian bridge is located 10 metres downstream from the new road bridge. It is a modern concrete bridge with 27 m long spans (to match every third road bridge pier alignment at 9m) 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.
External links
- Bridge Project official webpage
- VicRoads Bridge Project newsletter
- Bridge Project Heritage Permit Application