West Gate Bridge

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**West Gate Bridge**
View of the bridge from West Gate Park
Carries	8 lanes (4 inbound, 4 outbound)
Crosses	Yarra River
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Maintained by	VicRoads
Design	Cable-stayed
Longest span	336 metres (1,102 ft)
Total length	2,582.6 metres (8,473.1 ft)
Width	Maximum of 37.3 metres (122.4 ft)
Clearance below	58 metres (190.3 ft)
AADT	Approx 150,000
Opening date	15 November 1978
Connects the Melbourne CBD with south-western suburbs and Geelong
Coordinates	37°49′47.42″S, 144°53′52.74″E

The West Gate Bridge is a large cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It spans the Yarra River, just north of its mouth into Port Phillip, and is a vital link between the inner city and Melbourne's eastern suburbs with the industrial suburbs in the west and with the city of Geelong, 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) to the south-west.

The main river span is 336 metres (1,102 ft) in length, and the height above the water is 58 metres. The total length of the bridge is 2,582.6 metres (8,473.1 ft). It is the second longest in Australia, and is twice as long as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The bridge passes over Westgate Park, a large environmental and recreational reserve created during the bridge's construction.

1 Transportation
- 1.1 Motor Vehicles
- 1.2 Cycling and the Westgate
2 History
- 2.1 Collapse
- 2.2 Completion
3 Future
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Motor Vehicles

Unlike the Bolte Bridge much closer to the city centre, a part of the CityLink freeway system, the Westgate Bridge is no longer tolled. It carries four lanes of motor vehicle traffic in each direction.

[edit] Cycling and the Westgate

Cyclists are prohibited from using the bridge except for special bicycle events. The Westgate Punt is a ferry that runs directly below the bridge taking cyclists and pedestrians across the Yarra between a jetty in Fisherman's Bend at the end of Westgate Park, connecting to the main bicycle trail and a jetty adjacent to Scienceworks Museum. Operating only on weekends and public holidays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on demand. Ticket prices are $3 one way and children under 10 are free (bicycles no charge).

[edit] History

[edit] Collapse

Two years into construction of the bridge, on 15 October 1970, the 112 metre (367.5 ft) span between piers 10 and 11 collapsed and fell 50 metres (164 ft) to the ground and water below. Thirty-five construction workers were killed.

There was a difference in camber of 11.4 centimeters (4.5 in) between two half girders at the west end of the span which needed to be joined. It was proposed that the higher one be weighted down with 8 concrete blocks, each 10 tonnes (11 t), which were located on site. The weight of these blocks caused the span to buckle, which was a sign of structural failure. The longitudinal joining of the half girders was partially complete when orders came through to remove the buckle. As the bolts were removed the bridge snapped back and the span collapsed.

A Royal Commission into the collapse was established, and concluded on 14 July 1971. It attributed the failure of the bridge to two causes; the structural design by designers Freeman Fox and Partners and an unusual method of erection by World Services and Construction, the original contractors of the project.

Six twisted fragments of the collapsed bridge can be found adorning the gardens in the engineering faculty of Monash University, Clayton campus. It is said by students that they are there to remind engineers of what happens when they get it wrong. Monash University acquired these pieces when it was asked to participate in the investigation into the collapse.

[edit] Completion

Completed in 1978 after 10 years of construction, the bridge, a part of the larger West Gate Freeway, cost $202 million.

The West Gate Bridge was originally tolled but is now toll-free with the tolls being lifted after only 6 years.

[edit] Future

Strong growth in suburbs along the route, and increased freight through the Port of Melbourne, means that the corridor is experiencing traffic congestion during peak periods, is vulnerable to short term interruptions and is rapidly approaching capacity.

Proposals to abate congestion by allowing more traffic have included bridge widening, a tunnel underneath the river, or adding a second deck to the bridge. Many such plans have come under fire from community groups such as the Public Transport Users Association and Environment Victoria advocating investment in alternative forms of transport.

On 17 May 2006, the State Government announced plans to change traffic flow in peak periods on the West Gate Bridge and approaches to it, providing five traffic lanes in the peak direction, instead of four. This will be done using overhead signals and barriers. The state government has committed to this project in its 2006-2007 state budget.

The State Government is also assessing options for the development of another east-west link. Sir Rod Eddington, former CEO of British Airways and Chairman of the Victorian Major Events Company, will head the assessment of the future East-West connections and recommend the best way forward for public transport, road and freight travel for the entire Monash-West Gate corridor.

An unconfirmed 6 February 2006 report suggested that the State Government was considering plans to build a companion tunnel to the West Gate Bridge, the Westgate Tunnel under the Yarra River, to carry both traffic and a freight rail line. This would be similar to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel arrangement (although the latter does not provide a rail route).