Friday, August 26, 2005

Melbourne's own Twin Towers

Melbourne has it's own Twin Towers; it's the Bolte Bridge linking traffic to the Westgate Freeway from the Tullamarine Freeway. It is part of City Link Tollways. The six-lane bridge, subcontracted by City Link head contractor Transurban to Baulderstone Hornibrook, is one the largest balanced cantilever cast in situ box girder bridges in Australia. The superstructure is built as two independent bridges of variable depth, prestressed concrete box girders, separated by a 1.15 m clear gap in the central median. It is supported on five land-based piers, with central pier 3 located on a manmade island. It has four spans with two main spans of 173 m and side spans of 72 m, giving an overall bridge length of 490 m.

The Bolte Bridge is undoubtedly the most glamorous bridge in Australia eventhough it's not as well known as it's Sydney's counterpart; the Harbour Bridge.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Not meaning to be rude - I don't agree this is 'undoubtedly the most glamorous bridge in Australia'. A simple cantilever bridge with a none-too-subtle architectural addition does not make for glamour - why not take a look at the Batman Bridge in Tasmania... a stunning blend of form and function.

All the same, I appreciate your pride in a beautiful city.