Aust bridge could be next, engineer warns

Aust bridge could be next, engineer warns

abc.net.au

A Melbourne-based civil engineer is warning that Australia could have a bridge collapse similar to this week's US disaster, unless more money is devoted to monitoring ageing bridge structures.

Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, Priyan Mendis, says there are a number of vulnerable bridges across Australia, but not enough engineers to assess their safety.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 4-8-2007 by UM_Gazz]

This article also discusses the cutbacks within Engineering for Infrastructure.

I suppose experts will always step forward after an event and have an opinion but one thing that does appear urgent is updating the way the Bridges are checked. He suggests Australia is good at monitoring Bridges but claims "there are some bridges that are vulnerable"

Perhaps the public needs to know what bridges are vulnerable. I think that should be public knowledge.

The article provides a warning.... need more money put into this area.








abc.net.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

everyone is going to be coming forward now...

Just this morning on the radio here in Toledo, they were making a big deal about our bridges.

stating that 2 of them are "rated" worse than the one in MN that collapsed.

this will all blow over soon and we'll be claiming terrorism, aliens and no funding on something else....

I have heard the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne which is an absolutely huge bridge, and one that 'did' collapse whilst being constructed 30 or so years ago, has pretty severe stress fractures underneath, big enough to fit your hand in.

And the state government have discussed in the past the possiblity of 'hanging' off the side an extra lane each way.

A few years ago, there was also maintanance work which fixed some sort of heavy duty steel strips the whole length underneath the bridge for added strength.

Im no civil engineer but I can honestly say that each time I drive over that bridge, I pray to god (even thou Im not that religious) that the bridge holds up till I get across.

Originally posted by Melbourne_Militia
I have heard the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne:

Im no civil engineer but I can honestly say that each time I drive over that bridge, I pray to god (even thou Im not that religious) that the bridge holds up till I get across.

Do you believe that is public knowledge? If you feel wary about being on it, I just wonder how many others do too?

When I was last in Melbourne, I had to go through the Burnleigh Tunnel and my ex husband is an Engineer and he told me how many problems they were having with it. When I went through it, I honestly was holding my breath. It is an Engineering mess and it is so obvious.

There are water leaks etc.

Is the West Gate Bridge the big one that takes you to the Tullamarine Freeway?

[edit on 3-8-2007 by Thurisaz]

it is the big one as you go towards the city from the Western Suburbs and you can see it lit up at night from almost anywhere in the city, thats how high it is.

The Burnleigh Tunnel is an engineering mess. I honestly dont know how they were allowed to build it in the soil type that they did. To keep the tunnel from cracking, they have to constanly pump millions and millions of litres of water into the soil around because it goes through the water table and under neath the yarra River.

That is just a disaster waiting to happen. I will not drive through it unless I have not an option.

Now they want to build a bigger tunnel from the eastern freeway to the Tullamarine freeway which would be bout 15km in length.

Governments are seemingly going for the "el-cheapo" options these days.

Luckily I use the public transport in Melbourne But yes, the West Gate is huge, and if it has problems, well geez..check it out damnit!

Luckily I use the public transport in Melbourne But yes, the West Gate is huge, and if it has problems, well geez..check it out damnit!

A vast number of Bridges in the UK are to be checked also, two particular bridges, Fourth Road bridge and another in England, the cable holding them up have been snapping over the years, now Engineers are trying to dry them out to stop this continuing. Quite alarming now that alot of bridges are having to be checked.

Melbourne_Militia, I wish you hadn't mentioned those stress cracks in the underside of the West Gate Bridge. Now Ill never stop thinking about them whenever I drive over it.

Heres a good pic of it, gives a sense of scale:

It's bloody huge, 8 lanes. If that were to fall, you would die. No amazing survival stories here.

Join the war on bridges!

Damn pesky bridges.

Yeah melbournes West Gate Bridge is huge. But they DEFINATELY are always checking that bridge. That's for sure. It's already fallen down once, whenthey were building it. Noone's gunna let that happen again.

and yes thats correct. if you were to jump over the side...You'd die of a heart attack before you hit the bottom apparently... ;-P No stopping on that bridge...