Tasman Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Tasman Bridge is a five-lane bridge crossing the Derwent River, near the CBD of Hobart
, Tasmania
. The bridge has a total length (including approaches) of 1,395 metres (4,576 ft). It provides the main traffic route from the CBD (on the western shore) to the eastern shore - particularly Hobart International Airport
and Bellerive Oval
. It has a pedestrian
foot way on each side, but no dedicated lane for bicycles. However, steps to the pedestrian foot way have recently been replaced with on-ramps.
faced increasing difficulty in managing the larger volumes of traffic
that came with development, and constantly raising the lift span for shipping was disruptive. The total cost of the new bridge in conjunction with approach ramps and Lindisfarne Interchange
was in the area of £
7 million. Construction commenced in May 1960 and the bridge was first opened to traffic (2 lanes only) on 18 August 1964. The bridge was completed with all four lanes operational on 23 December 1964. It was officially opened on 18 March 1965 by H. R. H. Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester
. During peak construction a labour force of over 400 men was employed on site.
of zinc concentrate
. It caused two pylons and three sections of concrete decking, totaling 127 metres (417 ft), to fall from the bridge and sink the ship. Seven of the ship's crewmen were killed, and five motorists died when four cars drove over the collapsed sections before the traffic was stopped. A major press shot showed a 3,000 km old Holden Monaro
GTS, which was owned by Frank and Sylvia Maley, along with an older EK Holden station wagon, driven by a local man Mr. Murray Ling, perched balancing on the ledge.
The depth of the river at this point (35 metres (115 ft) is such that the wreck of Lake Illawarra still lies on the bottom, with concrete slab on top of it, without presenting a navigation hazard to smaller vessels.
The breakage of an important arterial link isolated the residents in Hobart’s eastern suburbs – the relatively short drive across the Tasman Bridge to the city suddenly became a 50 kilometre (31 mi) journey via the estuary's next bridge at Bridgewater
. The only other vehicular crossing within Hobart after the bridge collapsed was the Risdon Punt, a cable ferry
which crossed the river from East Risdon and Risdon, some five kilometres upstream from the bridge. However, it was totally inadequate, carrying only eight cars on each crossing, and although ferries provided a service across the Derwent River, it was not until December 1975 that a two lane, 788m long Bailey bridge
was opened to traffic, thereby restoring some connectivity.
The separation of Hobart saw an immediate surge in the small and limited ferry service then operating across the river. In a primary position to provide a service were the two ships of Robert Clifford
, a Tasmanian mariner. He had introduced the locally-built ferries Matthew Brady and James McCabe to the river crossing, from the Central Business District of Hobart to the eastern shore, shortly before the collision. These two ships were soon joined by the Cartela, a wooden vessel of 1912 vintage, and other ships, including Sydney Harbour ferries, pressed into service by the Tasmanian Government, to ferry thousands of commuters across the river.
Following successful rebuilding of the Bridge, Clifford's organisation saw the ferry traffic fade quickly, but by then he had diversified into further building of ships..
On the 20 June 2007, a crane
toppled whilst carrying out works on the bridge, and precariously hung for a number of hours off the side of the barriers.
Reconstruction of the Tasman Bridge commenced in October 1975. An important factor of the reconstruction is the improved safety measures. Some examples:
On top of the new safety measures implemented, the bridge was further upgraded to hold a fifth lane. This upgrade included the construction of a lane management system which would enable the new middle lane to function as a reversible lane
. The system consists of a traffic light system and a sign above each lane, pictured right. The signs, in conjunction with the traffic light system, employ a pulley
system to periodically pull the signs over their appropriate lanes.
The middle lane points towards the city side (or western shore) during a.m. peak hours and points back towards the eastern shore during p.m. peak hours. The lane generally points towards the eastern shore during non-peak hours.
The Tasman Bridge repair took two years and cost approximately $44 million. The bridge officially reopened on 8 October 1977.
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The bridge has a total length (including approaches) of 1,395 metres (4,576 ft). It provides the main traffic route from the CBD (on the western shore) to the eastern shore - particularly Hobart International Airport
Hobart International Airport
Hobart International Airport is an airport located in Cambridge, east of Hobart, Tasmania. The Federal government owned airport is currently being operated on a 99 year lease to the Tasmanian Gateway Consortium. The airport has seen strong passenger growth in the last few years, primarily due to...
and Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
. It has a pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
foot way on each side, but no dedicated lane for bicycles. However, steps to the pedestrian foot way have recently been replaced with on-ramps.
History
In the 1950s with the development of the Eastern shore, it was decided to build a larger bridge; the old Hobart BridgeHobart Bridge
The Hobart Bridge was a pontoon bridge that crossed the River Derwent, connecting the eastern and western Shores of the City of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.- History :...
faced increasing difficulty in managing the larger volumes of traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
that came with development, and constantly raising the lift span for shipping was disruptive. The total cost of the new bridge in conjunction with approach ramps and Lindisfarne Interchange
Lindisfarne Interchange
The Lindisfarne Interchange is a Trumpet interchange which connects the Tasman Bridge to the Tasman Highway and the East Derwent Highway, on the eastern shore of the Derwent River within Hobart, Tasmania...
was in the area of £
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
7 million. Construction commenced in May 1960 and the bridge was first opened to traffic (2 lanes only) on 18 August 1964. The bridge was completed with all four lanes operational on 23 December 1964. It was officially opened on 18 March 1965 by H. R. H. Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester is a British royal title , often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England, the next in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; this current creation carries with it the...
. During peak construction a labour force of over 400 men was employed on site.
Disaster
On Sunday 5 January 1975, at 9:27 p.m. Australian Eastern Summer Time, the Tasman Bridge was struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, bound for the Electrolytic Zinc Company with a cargo of 10,000 tonsTons
Tons can refer to:* Tons River, a major river in India* the plural of ton, a unit of mass, force, volume, energy or power* short ton, 2,000 pounds, used in the United States...
of zinc concentrate
Zinc concentrate
Zinc concentrate is a semi-processed intermediate product used in the production of zinc metal and zinc alloys, which is the result of a flotation process after the zinc ore has been mined and milled...
. It caused two pylons and three sections of concrete decking, totaling 127 metres (417 ft), to fall from the bridge and sink the ship. Seven of the ship's crewmen were killed, and five motorists died when four cars drove over the collapsed sections before the traffic was stopped. A major press shot showed a 3,000 km old Holden Monaro
Holden Monaro
The Holden Monaro is an automobile that was produced by GM Holden Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, between 1968 and 1977 and between 2001 and 2005...
GTS, which was owned by Frank and Sylvia Maley, along with an older EK Holden station wagon, driven by a local man Mr. Murray Ling, perched balancing on the ledge.
The depth of the river at this point (35 metres (115 ft) is such that the wreck of Lake Illawarra still lies on the bottom, with concrete slab on top of it, without presenting a navigation hazard to smaller vessels.
The breakage of an important arterial link isolated the residents in Hobart’s eastern suburbs – the relatively short drive across the Tasman Bridge to the city suddenly became a 50 kilometre (31 mi) journey via the estuary's next bridge at Bridgewater
Bridgewater, Tasmania
Bridgewater, Tasmania, is one greater Hobart's northern-most suburbs, located 19 km from the city. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Derwent River. It is a suburb of the local government area of the Municipality of Brighton....
. The only other vehicular crossing within Hobart after the bridge collapsed was the Risdon Punt, a cable ferry
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
which crossed the river from East Risdon and Risdon, some five kilometres upstream from the bridge. However, it was totally inadequate, carrying only eight cars on each crossing, and although ferries provided a service across the Derwent River, it was not until December 1975 that a two lane, 788m long Bailey bridge
Bailey bridge
The Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed by the British during World War II for military use and saw extensive use by both British and the American military engineering units....
was opened to traffic, thereby restoring some connectivity.
Bob Clifford
Dr. Robert "Bob" Frederick Clifford AO, , and now living in Surrey, England, is an Australian shipbuilder, entrepreneur, and businessman, best known for his success in building his Incat catamaran building company into an international brand that sells wave piercing catamaran ferries all over the...
, a Tasmanian mariner. He had introduced the locally-built ferries Matthew Brady and James McCabe to the river crossing, from the Central Business District of Hobart to the eastern shore, shortly before the collision. These two ships were soon joined by the Cartela, a wooden vessel of 1912 vintage, and other ships, including Sydney Harbour ferries, pressed into service by the Tasmanian Government, to ferry thousands of commuters across the river.
Following successful rebuilding of the Bridge, Clifford's organisation saw the ferry traffic fade quickly, but by then he had diversified into further building of ships..
On the 20 June 2007, a crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
toppled whilst carrying out works on the bridge, and precariously hung for a number of hours off the side of the barriers.
Reconstruction
- Large vessels passing beneath the bridge must now do so slightly to the west of the original main navigation span.
- Personnel controlling ships (or harbor pilots) must be trained and then cleared for using the special laserLaserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
that indicates by colours whether the ship must be steered left or right to regain the centre line. - All road traffic is now halted whilst large vessels transit beneath the bridge.
On top of the new safety measures implemented, the bridge was further upgraded to hold a fifth lane. This upgrade included the construction of a lane management system which would enable the new middle lane to function as a reversible lane
Reversible lane
A reversible lane , called a counterflow lane or contraflow lane in transport engineering nomenclature, is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions...
. The system consists of a traffic light system and a sign above each lane, pictured right. The signs, in conjunction with the traffic light system, employ a pulley
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
system to periodically pull the signs over their appropriate lanes.
The middle lane points towards the city side (or western shore) during a.m. peak hours and points back towards the eastern shore during p.m. peak hours. The lane generally points towards the eastern shore during non-peak hours.
The Tasman Bridge repair took two years and cost approximately $44 million. The bridge officially reopened on 8 October 1977.
Replacement
In 2010, Clarence Alderman Richard James stated that it was time to consider the replacement of the Tasman Bridge with a new bridge of suspension or cable stay design citing that the current bridge was facing a greatly reduced lifespan due to damage to the internal steel structure caused by the Tasman Bridge disaster. Richard James has suggested a timeframe of no more than 20 years.See also
- Hobart Ferry ServicesHobart Ferry ServicesHobart Water Taxis provide a major alternative public transport service for commuters and tourists in the City of Clarence and City of Hobart, located on the Derwent River, Tasmania.Departing Bellerive at 8.00am 8.30am 5.15pm...
- Tasman HighwayTasman HighwayThe Tasman Highway is a highway in Tasmania, Australia. Like the Midland Highway, it connects the major cities of Hobart and Launceston — however it takes a different route, via the north-eastern and eastern coasts of the state. The Highway also acts as a major commuter road to Hobart...
- List of disasters in Australia by death toll
External links
- Live webcam view of Hobart including the Tasman Bridge
- Traffic camera view of the Tasman Bridge
- Archival photographs of construction of the Tasman Bridge: page 1, page 2.
- 1995 article about Tasman Bridge safety
- Hobart To Tasman Bridge 1938-2000