Taking a tour

From the air there is a tangle of freeway lanes, ramps and frontage roads.

The interchange having a total of sixteen bridges.

Including:

• two taking the Calder Freeway over the M80 Ring Road,
• five taking the Calder Freeway over freeway ramps,
• two taking freeway ramps over the M80 Ring Road,
• five bridges over railway tracks,
• one taking Fullarton Road over the interchange,
• and finally, a pedestrian footbridge at Collinson Street.

And increasing the complexity of the interchange are two other features – the Fullarton Road ‘frontage road’ skirts the northern edge, and Calder Freeway westbound exit for Keilor Park Drive is via a collector/distributor lane arrangement with the M80 Ring Road ramps.

But the despite the number of bridges, only four out of the possible eight freeway-to-freeway movements are possible:

• M80 Ring Road southbound > Calder Freeway westbound,
• Calder Freeway westbound > M80 Ring Road southbound,
• M80 Ring Road northbound > Calder Freeway eastbound, and
• Calder Freeway eastbound > M80 Ring Road northbound.

The other four movements being catered for by other routes:

• M80 Ring Road southbound > Calder Freeway eastbound via Tullamarine Freeway from the M80 Ring Road interchange,
• Calder Freeway westbound > M80 Ring Road northbound via Tullamarine Freeway from the Calder Freeway interchange,
• M80 Ring Road northbound > Calder Freeway westbound via Keilor Park Drive, and
• Calder Freeway eastbound > M80 Ring Road southbound via Keilor Park Drive.

And local traffic – for the Calder Freeway they have to use the Woorite Place, Fullarton Road or McNamara Avenue exits; for the M80 Ring Road they need to use Keilor Park Drive or Airport Drive.

So how did this mess of roads come to be?

A history of the Calder Freeway, Keilor Park Drive, and the M80 Western Ring Road

We start back in 1971, when Keilor Park was a recently developed suburb, there was no such thing as Keilor Park Drive, and the Calder Highway was just a normal road. The only sign of what was to come – two faint purple lines marking future freeways.

Melway edition 5, 1971

By 1975 the first stage of the Calder Freeway had been completed from Niddrie, terminating at Keilor East – and the first sign of Keilor Park Drive.

Melway edition 8, 1975

By 1976 the Calder Highway had been deviated towards the Keilor Cemetery, ready for a freeway extension.

Melway edition 9, 1976

Keilor Park Drive was completed by 1978, and the planned ring road alignment had been extended south of the Calder Freeway.

Melway edition 11, 1978

By 1979 work on the Calder Freeway extension west to Keilor was underway.

Melway edition 12, 1979

Completed by 1982.

Melway edition 14, 1982

There things stayed still, until 1989 saw the planned alignment for the Western Ring Road tweaked.

Melway edition 19, 1989

The debate over the interchange

Early planning for the Western Ring Road was undecided about the provision of an interchange with the Calder Freeway, due to the impacts on the surrounding area.

The planning scheme reservation across the Calder Freeway is about 30 metres wide and is inadequate to accommodate the WRR. No allowance was made in previous planning for the additional land that would be required for an interchange between the WRR and the Calder Freeway . As a result, development has been allowed to proceed right up to the reservation boundary. South of the Calder Freeway is the East Keilor industrial area, consisting of small industrial premises, while to the north is the residential area of Keilor Park.

Four interchange options were subject to detailed investigation.

• a ‘no-interchange’ option requlrlng turning traffic between the Calder and the WRR to use nearby local access interchanges and local roads . This would include grade separation of the two routes and acquisition of 15 business premises at a cost of $14m. It would cause significant increases in through traffic on local roads;
• build an interchange, with a range of alternatives examined including a diamond interchange (with signals on the WRR), a bridged rotary and a number of freeway to freeway variations. The cost would range from $27m for a diamond to $52 for freeway to freeway. Up to 75 business premises and 30 houses would be required.

The recommended solution was a two-level interchange with turning roadways in two quadrants, with a September 1989 information bulletin stating.

There has been a lot of community discussion about whether or not an interchange should be built to connect the WRR with the Calder Freeway.

If an interchange were not built, there would be big increases in traffic on local arterial roads, such as Milleara Road and Keilor Park Drive. An interchange is therefore favoured despite its estimated cost of up to $50m and the effect on a number of houses and businesses.

Following recent discussions with local residents, further ideas have been examined. These would not separate through traffic from local traffic, and would still impact on a similar number of properties.

It is therefore proposed to reserve enough land for an interchange at the location originally shown (immediately west of the SEC power lines).

This would require a section of Fullarton Road to be moved. Space would be provided for landscaping and noise barriers to protect houses in Keilor Park.

These changes being included in the Western Road Road Environmental Effects Statement advertised in December 1989.

Featuring a long list of land use changes in Keilor Park and East Keilor.

Including:

14)

The Proposed Secondary Road link to Cecelia Drive is to be deleted. It previously provided a local connection between Buckley Street and the Calder Freeway which is now to be via the Dodds Road interchange and the new connection through former Commonwealth land to Milleara Road (see item 16 below). The reservation is to be rezoned to appropriate abutting zoning (Residential C and Proposed Public Open Space reservation).

15)

An area of land to the north of the previous Cecelia Drive route, which is zoned for Reserved Light Industrial, will be impossible to develop for industrial purposes because of access difficulties. It is proposed to be rezoned to Proposed Public Open Space as an extension of the Maribymong Valley Park. The area will be capable of providing for pedestrian/cycle access into the park from the new Dodds Road connection. It is owned by the MMBW.

16)

A large area of land reserved for Commonwealth purposes in Milleara Road has been sold and is being subdivided for housing. The site is to be rezoned to Reserved Living, in accordance with the proposed use. Incorporated within the zone will be a Secondary Road reservation which provides for the connection between Dodds Road interchange and Milleara Road, on the alignment included within the approved plan of subdivision.

17)

As part of the necessary connections between the existing road network and the Ring Road, the Roads Corporation are intending to construct a connection between the Dodds Road interchange and Keilor Park Drive. This route will utilise the existing reservation and Cemetery road to the southern boundary of the cemetery, then deviate westwards to join Keilor Park Drive. A portion of Brimbank Park, reserved for Proposed Public Open Space, is to be amended to Proposed Secondary Road and an excised remnant amended to Proposed Cemetery to allow for future expansion of the adjoining Keilor Cemetery. The deviation shall involve the least acquisition necessary to achieve a satisfactory road alignment.

18)

Land north-east of the proposed Dodds road interchange has recently been subdivided for industrial purposes. The zoning is to be rationalised to provide a Reserved Light Industrial Zone along the railway opposite future housing (Item 16). A proposed reservation for re-instating access to the Slater Parade Industrial Area is also provided (Proposed Public Purposes 20).

19)

The area between the new Dodds Road/Keilor Park Drive link and the Ring Road is currently zoned for a variety of industrial and other uses. It is intended to rationalise the zoning for this area.
The existing Reserved Light Industrial and Reserved General Industrial Zones will be amended to a Restricted Light Industrial zone which will allow greater control over buildings and works.

20)

Land severed from Brimbank Park by Cemetery Road deviation and public open space reservation due east of the Keilor Cemetery is proposed to be included in a Proposed Cemetery Reservation. This will provide for a much needed extension of the cemetery. Open space lost in the extension will be replaced in the area south of Dodds Road interchange (see Item 15).

21)

Access is to be restored to the properties west of the Ring Road in the Prendergast Avenue area. The new road (shown as Proposed Public Purposes 20) will provide subdivisional opportunities which can be taken up by the owner by agreement with the Council and the Roads Corporation.

22)

The Roads Corporation proposes to construct a freeway-to-freeway interchange between the Ring Road and the Calder Freeway. The construction may take place in stages, to match traffic growth and may initially include some at grade intersections with traffic signals. These would later be replaced by free flow ramps. The Proposed Main Road reservation included in this amendment provides for the total land requirements for the final interchange. This also provides for a deviation of Fullarton Road around the interchange to maintain access between Keilor Park and Airport West.

23)

The present planning scheme shows the Calder Freeway between Woorite Place and the Maribyrnong River as a mixture of Main Road, Proposed Main Road and Road Widening reservations. The boundaries of these reservations have been changed to match the layout of the freeway.

Time to build

Plans for the Western Ring Road had been made real by 1991, when a whole slew of new proposed roads added to the Melway – including the Western Ring Road, an interchange with the Calder Freeway, and a southward extension of Keilor Park Drive to Milleara Road.

Melway edition 21, 1991

Work started on the 2.6 km long extension of Keilor Park Drive to Milleara Road in 1993, opening to traffic on 11 April 1994 at a cost of $20 million. A further $5 million was spent on the duplication of Keilor Park Drive and Sharps Road, in preparation for the traffic that the next stage of the Western Ring Road would bring – but the Calder Freeway interchange was still ‘proposed’.

Melway edition 23, 1995

But the interchange was approved soon after – detailed design work commenced in 1992 with construction planned to start in 1996, with completed by 1998. However additional funding from the Federal Government saw the project sped up – construction commenced in May 1994 under two contracts, with a 90 week deadline:

• Stage 1: $30 million contract with Fletcher Construction Australia and Sinclair Knight Merz for the construction of four road bridges, three bridges over rail lines and the extension the existing pedestrian footbridge.
• Stage 2: $14.6 million contract with Transfield Constructions and Roche Bros to widen the Calder Freeway from Keilor Park Drive to McNamara Avenue, build six road bridges, and widen two bridges over the railway.

1996 saw the interchange marked as ‘under construction’ in the Melway, and the western ramps at the Calder Freeway / Woorite Place interchange had been closed.

Melway edition 24, 1996

With the freeway network reaching the current state in 1998.

Melway edition 25, 1998

Today the only different is the number of lanes: the Western Ring Road north of the Calder Freeway interchange was widened to four lanes in 2013, the section to the south following in 2018.

And the streets wiped off the map

To make room for the freeway interchange a compulsory acquisition process was started in 1993, and by February 1995 twenty out of 30 houses in Keilor Park had been demolished, with 75 commercial and industrial properties due to follow.

By the time the area was cleared, Prendergast Avenue, Webber Parade, Tunnecliffe Avenue, Hogan Parade had all been wiped off the map, along with a portion of the ‘Milleara Estate’ by landscape architect Walter Burley Griffin, designer of Canberra.

Footnote: ghost ramp on the Calder Freeway

The interchange of the Calder Freeway and Woorite Place was once a full diamond, but the ramps to the west were removed to eliminate weaving movements with traffic from the Western Ring Road.

Google Maps

The remains on the eastbound off ramp are still visible today as a ‘ghost ramp‘.

Google Street View

Footnote: building bridges

The paper Design and Construct Bridge Structures on the Western Ring Road — Calder Freeway Interchange by Mark Percival and Duncan Kinder details the construction of the bridges at the interchange.

Each of a unique design.

Fullarton Road Bridge
Fullarton Road formerly ran parallel to the Calder Freeway between Matthews Avenue to the east and Keilor Park Drive to the west, providing vehicular access to private housing on the northern side of the freeway. Construction of a grade separation structure over the proposed Western Ring Road was required to maintain this access. The bridge carries two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) and has a 2m wide footpath located along the northern side of the bridge.

Ramp A Bridge
This bridge was provided to allow vehicles travelling north along the Western Ring Road to exit off the Ring Road and join the Calder Freeway, leading back into Melbourne. The bridge is constructed parallel to the Fullarton Road Bridge and spans over the Western Ring Road, Ramp C and Ramp D.

Ramp C Bridge
Ramp C provides access for traffic heading south along the Western Ring Road to exit north towards Bendigo along the Calder Freeway.

Ramp D Bridge
This bridge provides access for southbound traffic from the Calder Freeway to enter the westbound carriageway of the Western Ring Road. As well as being curved in plan, it has a high skew. (21° at the west abutment, 30° at the east abutment)

Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge, Ramp A Rail Bridge and Ramp B Rail Bridge
Ramp A and Ramp B Rail Bridges were provided to allow access on or off the Western Ring Road, and Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge was required to maintain access to the existing access road. All three bridges over the Albion to Broadmeadows Rail Line provide for two lanes of traffic. The Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge also included a pedestrian footpath. Each bridge comprises three simply supported spans varying in length from 11.4m to 15.2m.

Collinson Street Footbridge
The existing Collinson Street Footbridge over the Calder Freeway required extension to provide access over both Ramp C and E. The existing circular ramp at the southern end of the bridge was demolished and the bridge extended at the south end with 4 additional spans.

The curved road bridges were concrete box girders cast in place, with the roadway beneath excavated following completion of the bridge; while the bridges over the railway were conventional super ‘T’ beams lowered into place by cranes.

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Precast concrete everywhere

The most obvious usage of precast concrete on the West Gate Tunnel Project is the tunnels themselves.

Each of the 3-lane tunnels requiring 2500 precast concrete segments to line the interior.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

But the massive viaduct running above Footscray Road also requires tonnes of precast concrete.

Piers to hold up the two carriageways.

Then there is the bridge deck itself.

Assembled using a giant mobile gantry.

From shorter sections of precast concrete.

Enter LS Precast

In a paddock outside Benalla is a yard filled with massive pieces of precast concrete.

Google Maps

Cranes everywhere.

Each massive piece of precast concrete was created inside an bigger sheds.

Then stacked up outside.

Google Maps

Hundreds of tunnel lining segments waiting to make the trip to Melbourne.

Multiple times a day, A-double semi trailers departs the yard.

On the 200 kilometre, two and a half hour drive down the Hume Highway to Melbourne.

There they thread their way through the western suburbs to West Gate Tunnel work site.

The precast concrete elements that make up the elevated viaduct above Footscray Road are also manufactured at Benalla.

But since these elements are much larger.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

They need to be transported by specialised low loader trucks.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

To spread their extreme weight across the road surface.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

What about trains

Benalla is on a railway line, and so is Melbourne – so why not transport all of these pieces of precast concrete by train? Well, that is exactly what the government said would happen.

New Benalla manufacturing facility to create hundreds of jobs for rural and regional Victorians
1 Feb 2018

Victoria’s largest precast concrete manufacturing facility will be built in Benalla to supply major Victorian infrastructure projects, create 400 jobs and provide a massive boost to the local economy.

The $60 million facility will be operated by local businesses and will supply precast concrete for major projects including the West Gate Tunnel Project.

The facility will be capable of producing up to 1,500 tonnes of concrete product per day at peak capacity.

Benalla’s access to road and rail infrastructure means the facility is well placed to supply future Victorian and interstate projects, creating ongoing economic benefits to Benalla and surrounding communities.

To limit the number of trucks on local roads, the precast concrete segments for the West Gate Tunnel Project will be transported to Melbourne by freight train.

A new 700m rail siding will be built along the existing rail line in Benalla to provide a direct link between the precast facility and Melbourne.

The West Gate Tunnel Project will provide an estimated $11 billion boost to the Victorian economy, creating 6000 new jobs.

Construction of the Benalla precast facility is due to commence in March 2018, and it will be fully operational from October 2018.

With a railway siding constructed right into the casting plant at Benalla.

New Rail Siding For Benalla Precast Concrete Facility
25 September 2018

Work has started on a huge rail siding to service the new precast concrete facility being built in Benalla.

Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan joined Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes to visit the worksite today, that will soon start producing precast concrete for the Andrews Labor Government’s West Gate Tunnel.

A new 700 metre siding will be created from the existing rail line to provide direct access to the precast facility.

New rail track will also be built – connected to the nearby freight line – so the concrete segments can be loaded directly from the precast facility on to freight trains and transported to Melbourne.

About 20 metre of new track has been laid and the existing train line is being upgraded ahead of the commissioning of the new siding in late 2018.

Construction is well underway on a new $60 million precast concrete facility in Benalla in readiness for concrete production.

The facility will initially provide over 65,000 concrete products for the massive West Gate Tunnel Project.

Excavators are currently levelling the site and the steel frames are going up for the three large sheds to be built on the site.

The precast facility will include a concrete batching plant, the large sheds for precast concrete production, offices, precast product storage, maintenance areas, a precast rail siding and 300 car parking spaces for workers.

The precast facility will be the largest of its kind in Victoria, capable of producing over 1,500 tonnes of concrete product per day at peak capacity.

The precast facility will create 400 jobs and will help ensure regional communities can benefit from the many opportunities created by the state’s booming infrastructure sector.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan

“It’s fantastic to see the progress being made on this, the largest precast concrete facility of its kind in Victoria.”

“Building the new rail siding means that we can get concrete products from Benalla to Melbourne via the existing rail network, avoiding heavy vehicle traffic and associated road impacts.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes

“This is a massive investment in Benalla and we are already seeing jobs being created for local people with construction well underway.”

“This facility nearly didn’t happen due to the Liberal and National parties’ opposition to the project, I’m proud that my home town of Benalla and people throughout the north east share in the benefits of the Andrews Labor Government’s West Gate Tunnel.”

But by October 2020 their messaging had changed.

By having the concrete segment facility in Benalla, it ensured that regional Victoria benefited from our state’s infrastructure boom – creating jobs and providing a boost to the local economy.

The facility is supplying a variety of precast concrete products for the West Gate Tunnel Project and was selected due to its proximity to local quarries, its production capability and the easy access to Melbourne via transport networks . These products come in a range of sizes, shapes and weights.

A number of precast segments are not suitable to transport by freight train and will be delivered to West Gate Tunnel work sites by truck, using approved truck routes. The project team is exploring which precast segments are suitable to transport to Melbourne via rail. We’ll keep you updated through these channels as things progress.

The rail siding is clearly visible in the aerial view on Google Maps.

Google Maps

But as fas as I know, the rail siding at the Benalla precast yard has never been used by trains, and none of the precast segements have been transported by rail – however the cement used to make the segments did get moved by rail to Benalla station.

Footnote: some videos

Building the concrete precast facility at Benalla.

And flying over the completed yard.

Test fitting tunnel lining segments.

Delivering precast segments to the West Gate Tunnel work site.

Assembling the bridge columns.

And an animation showing how the bridge builder above Footscray Road works.

Footnote: other recent projects

The concrete segments for the Metro Tunnel were cast at a yard at Ravenhall, only 30 kilometres from their final destination.

While the precast concrete for the ‘Skyrail’ bridges were initially cast 50 kilometres away at Pakenham, and are now cast 70 kilometres away at Kilmore.

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In the beginning

For many decades, precast concrete ‘Super T’ girders have been the goto design for new road and rail bridges.

With concrete poured into a steel mould, and steel reinforcing bar inserted, each beam is made offsite.

Trucked to the bridge site.

And lifted into place by crane.

Enter ‘Skyrail’

In 2016 it was announced that all nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong would be eliminated by the construction of an elevated railway line. However there was one problem – the rail corridor between Caulfield and Oakleigh was too narrow for conventional bridge building techniques.

The solution – a dedicated casting plant was established at Pakenham.

It all starts with a cage of steel reinforcing mesh.

Concrete is then poured, giving a short segment of bridge.

They are then trucked one by one to the assembly site at Murrumbeena station.

Where they are assembled into completed beams.

And lifted the top of the completed bridge.

Where they are collected by a straddle carrier.

To deliver them to their final home at the end of the bridge.

Between May 2017 and April 2018 a total of 174 bridge spans were delivered – each ranging from 280 to 420 tonnes, with the straddle carrier travelling more than 260km back and forth along the rail line.

Some breathless boasting

The use of the straddle carrier and gantry crane solution was seen as innovative.

The new skills, processes and protocols associated with this national first have entailed an extensive amount of behind the scenes activity, including a comprehensive training programme.

Simon explains: “We’ve trained approximately 300 workers to operate the carrier, gantry cranes and support beams, as well as cast and tension the spans that make up the rail deck. It’s not insignificant from an industry perspective as we will retain this knowledge in Australia along with a whole range of highly transferrable skills.”

But the rail viaducts at the Noble Park end of the project used conventional super T beams.

As did the viaduct at Clayton.

With the straddle carrier and gantry crane meeting an inglorious end dumped in a yard at Sandown Park racecourse.

The reason?

And the new hotness – U-Trough beams

By 2019 a new, much simpler design of rail viaduct had taken over – the U-Trough.

With cleaner lines, the design also reduced the total height of the final viaduct, by containing the rail track inside the bridge structure itself.

The first example was the Mernda line extension, and quickly followed by the level crossing removal at Skye Road on the Frankston line.

With the beams manufactured at the NVC Precast yard in Kilmore.

Google Maps

The plant having a 115 lineal metre radiant heat cured bed fitted with external vibrators, two 1800 tonne slow release stressing jacks, and two 80 tonne x 40 metre span portal gantry cranes covering a working area of 8000m2.

NVC Precast photo

As with all precast concrete, the rebar is the first step.

NVC Precast photo

With the resulting beams being stacked in the yard.

NVC Precast photo

Until they leave the site by road.

NVC Precast photo

Cranes are used to lift the beams from the truck, and into place to make a bridge.

Work able to be completed with minimal disruption to rail services.

Even on narrow sections of rail corridor, like that between Bell and Preston stations.

Some early projects used preassembled U-trough beams.

NVC Precast photo

Delivered via convoluted routes.

But other projects have seen them delivered in two halves, to reduce the total weight of the load.

The beams then tied together on site.

With concrete poured in place.

The list of LXRA projects that have used U-trough bridges is long and growing, including:

• Mernda Rail Extension
• Skye Road, Frankston
• Seaford Road and Carrum
• Abbots Road and Greens Road, Dandenong South
• Werribee Street, Werribee
• Toorak Road
• Reservoir
• Hallam
• Lilydale and Mooroolbark
• Coburg and Moreland
• Preston and Bell
• Deer Park

(And probably a few more that I’ve missed!)

Footnote: more on U-troughs

In September 2019 Roads & Infrastructure published a piece on U-troughs.

The Level Crossing Removal Project will see 75 level crossings throughout Melbourne removed by 2025 in order to increase safety, reduce travel times and better connect communities across the city.

So far 29 level crossings have been removed and completed across Melbourne, including one at Skye Road in Frankston.

For the first time in Australia, the Level Crossing Removal Authority, principle contractor, designers, engineers and NVC Precast worked together to deliver the elevated rail using prefabricated concrete U-Trough beams.

The design of the Skye Level Crossing Removal used 24 prefabricated concrete U-Trough beams, that were over 6 metre wide, 30 metres in length and weighing an impressive 280 tonnes to construct the rail bridge using Rapid On-Line Construction techniques. This reduced the rail occupation period and sped up the overall construction of the project for the benefit of the community.

NVC Precast were chosen to manufacture the U-Trough beams based on their experience in precast and the L-Beams used for elevated rail for level crossing removal.

NVC Precast were able to manufacture and store the beams at their precasting facility in Kilmore Victoria, coordinating delivery to arrive just in time to be erected on site.

The U-Trough beams were produced by stitching two precast concrete L-beams together which were between 25 and 31 metres long with masses up to 120 tonnes each, creating a single unit that weighted up to 280 tonnes.
The L-Beams were positioned to be stitched out in the yard.

The project involved extensive planning to create the forms and casting beds for the manufacture of the beams, the plant to transport them to site, and to create the infrastructure for the stitching and loading at the precast yard.

NVC Precast Construction Manager oversaw the casting of the L-Beams and the process for the stitching of the U Troughs which took four weeks to complete in April 2018.

NVC Precast manufacture up to four L-beams at a time casting 140 to 160 m3 to produce 12 L-Beams per week. To create a single segment U-Trough Beam, 50% of the L-Beams were rotated 180˚, matched positioned on pedestals for the joining stitch to be cast. The rotation and match positioning was achieved using GPS guided SPMT and 80 tonnes Portal Gantry Cranes for the final touches.

The U-Trough beams were stored at NVC Precast’s Kilmore site before transporting to site and final installation into the elevated rail viaduct.

NVC Precast had to ensure that the load out facility it constructed allowed for 2 No. 12 axle Platform trailers to be accurately positioned under the 280-tonne segments for loading and chaining down.

Mr. Bell says the recent redevelopment of the NVC Precast site has created plenty of storage area for both storage and ancillary works such as painting, attaching handrails, barrier rails and temporary walkways.
The U-Trough beams were positioned by stitching two precast concrete L-beams together.

“This allows us to work closely with our clients to provide both precast concrete elements and solutions to some of the common construction problems, such as working at heights,” Mr. Bell says.

“As you are working beside a live rail line, rail upgrade requires closing the rail line every time you want to install the beams, which causes major disruption to rail traffic. With the L beams joined as U troughs off site, you take all the construction activity related to splicing off site and do it when the rail is still open. Then you can close the rail for significantly shorter periods just to install the complete U trough beams.”

Mr. Bell says the U-trough is a very efficient design as the trains operate within the walls of the beams which provides a much lower profile and is more aesthetically pleasing elevated structure.

“The offsite fabrication of the U Trough beams for the Skye project was a great initiative by the main contractor and provided many benefits to the overall onsite construction process, through the benefits of both off site precast techniques allowing rapid installation, great quality control, a reduction in the overall construction footprint, and eliminated a lot of safety issues.”

And structural engineer Daniel Pang published a paper in 2021 on the use of U-trough viaducts on the Toorak Road Level Crossing Removal Project, and how they differed from the standardized design developed by the LXRA’s U-Trough Joint Design Group.

The Toorak Road Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) removed and replaced the existing level crossing with two U-Trough elevated rail viaducts. The design drew on what had been developed for previous LXRP designs but introduced refinements and accommodated the project specific features.

The primary objective with the development of the standard U-Trough was to accommodate the online construction requirements of the overall LXRP program of works throughout metropolitan Melbourne for which speed of construction along existing rail corridors is critical.

The alliances teams participating in the LXRP works had decided to adopt a U-Trough solution as opposed to previously developed and tested local market solutions such as Super T beams and box section. This decision was been based upon the fact that the U-Trough solution had gained acceptance from stakeholders and was regarded as satisfying the design, construction, operational and maintenance objectives of rail infrastructure.

The U-Trough solution provides many advantages over other systems such as Super-T and concrete box girder sections. This solution enables minimisation of the height difference from the soffit level to the top of track and hence provides a lower vertical grade separation height and minimises the required earthworks. In the event of derailment, the train will be contained within the structure, which provides a significant safety benefit.

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This is an incomplete list of infrastructure that has had to be modified, replaced or rebuilt due to underground mining.

A quick introduction to longwall mining

The Total Environment Centre provide us some background to longwall mining in New South Wales.

Longwall mining is a form of underground coal mining where ‘panels’ of coal are mined side by side separated by narrow ‘pillars’ of rock that act as supports.

A long wall panel can be up to 4km long, 250-400m wide and 1-2m thick. Chocks are then placed lines of up to 400m in length to support the roof.

Coal is cut by a machine called a shearer that moves along the length of the face in front of the chocks, disintegrating the coal, which is then taken by a series of conveyors to the surface.

As coal is removed, the chocks are moved into the newly created cavity. As the longwall progresses through the seam, the cavity behind the longwall, known as the goaf, increases and eventually collapses under the weight of the overlying strata.

This collapsing can cause considerable surface subsidence that may damage the environment and human infrastructure.

Longwall mining in NSW began in 1962. In 1983/84 it accounted for 11% of the state’s raw coal production. This had increased to 36% by 1993/94 and stood at 29% in 2003/04.

Nearly all of the coal mined in NSW lies within the Sydney-Gunnedah Basin and in the five defined coalfields of Gunnedah, Hunter, Newcastle, Western (in the Lithgow / Mudgee area) and Southern (in the Campbelltown / Illawarra area).

Virtually all coal mining in the Southern and Western coalfields is underground.

Douglas Park Bridges, Hume Highway

The first example of modified infrastructure I found was the 285 metre long twin Douglas Park Bridges, which carry the Hume Highway 55 metres above the Nepean River.

The concrete piers having a large steel brace attached where they meet the bridge deck.

The bridge was designed in 1975 by the Department of Main Roads, and did not take land subsidence into consideration, as the Department of Mines indicated mining that they would maintain a coal mining buffer zone around the bridge.

However by the late-1990s approval was given to BHP Coal to expand longwall mining at thier Tower Colliery towards the bridge, provided an extensive monitoring program was put in place.

The impact on the bridge once mining was complete – the abutments were 10 mm closer together, piers had sunk up to 18 mm, and the piers at one end had moved 48.6 mm east.

In the years that followed, the movement in the bridge had worsened, and so in 2007 BHP funded a $9 million project to realign the bridge.

The northern Abutment had moved 57mm, the first Pier around 40mm and the second Pier around 20mm. The next piers were stable.

Because of the different movements, the deck was in a unnatural form and that’s why the bridges had to be realigned. Works had to be proceeded with a minimum of bridge closures.

On the abutments, pot bearings had to be replaced with sliding bearings, which required 4 x 200 tonne jacks to lift the deck. To be able to lift the deck at the Piers, we installed a 40 tonne steel structure to create a lifting base around each Pier.

The realignment was done using 6 x 50 tonne jacks. Once the movement was complete, the bearings had to be welded or clamped to fix the deck to the Piers.

However while this work was still underway, the NSW Government approved further mining was approved beneath the bridge, but this time with a network of 400 sensors collecting deformation data 24 hours a day, along with inclinometers linked to an early warning system.

Trackside solar powered gizmos

Alongside the Melbourne-Sydney railway outside Picton, I found an multiple sets of solar powered instruments connected to the tracks.

And a few kilometres away outside Douglas Park, I found some more complicated looking systems.

Complete with fixed structures for the installation of surveying equipment.

These systems monitor movement in the railway due to mining at the SIMEC Group Tahmoor Colliery and South32 Appin Colliery respectively.

Risk mitigation on the Hume Highway

BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal’s Appin Colliery also passes beneath the Hume Highway at Douglas Park, with land subsidence running the risk of distorting the base of the road pavement. The solution – cutting up the road.

Modelling studies concluded that cutting slots through the existing pavement would be an effective method of dissipating compressive stress in the bound sandstone subbase. As a result of these analyses, the Technical Committee adopted a management strategy where slots would be installed prior to mining.

Sixteen slots were cut in the pavement, eight in each carriageway, directly above the proposed Longwall 703. A further twenty six slots were cut above Longwall 704, for which mining has now started. The spacings of the slots were based mainly on subsidence predictions, with extra slots added within a zone of geological structure.

The Technical Committee recognised that pre-mining slots would probably not be able to accommodate all potential subsidence movements. In particular, irregular subsidence movements could develop, the locations of which could not be identified prior to mining, resulting in locally high compressive stresses in the pavement.

The Technical Committee recognised that additional slots could be installed proactively during mining based on actual monitoring data prior to compressive stresses in the pavement becoming sufficient to result in stepping. Materials, labour and equipment were available to install a new slot within a required 48 hours, with a target to install within 24 hours. This was undertaken on 5 occasions during mining.

Fibre optic sensors were also installed to monitor the movement of the road surface.

BHP Billiton’s Illawarra Coal has embedded three kilometres of fibre optic cables in the Hume Highway to track subsidence caused by a longwall mine that runs under the road.

Illawarra Coal uses fibre Bragg grating sensors to measure temperature and strain at ten-metre intervals along the road’s pavement to detect any forces that could damage the road.

Illawarra Coal’s in-pavement monitoring system is connected to a site-based bank of interrogators that analyse the raw data on a real time basis.

“All data is transferred via wireless network link and is maintained on a web server which is managed by one of the key stakeholders,” a BHP Billiton spokeswoman told iTnews.

“The captured data is compared against pre-determined triggers and has the capability to initiate mobile phone SMS-generated alarms if required for appropriate response as determined by the trigger.”

Replacing a railway tunnel

Just outside of Tahmoor was Redbank Tunnel – a 315 metre long double-track tunnel completed in 1919 as part of the duplication of the Melbourne-Sydney railway.

Google Earth, April 2010

But there was a problem – the nearby Tahmoor Colliery, established in 1975, and expanded in 1994 and 1999.

A further 4.5 million tonnes of coal was located under the tunnel, and Xstrata wanted to expand the mine yet again to extract it, which would destroy the tunnel.

Tahmoor has now undertaken modelling of subsidence impacts on Redbank Tunnel as a result of mining. This modelling has concluded that subsidence impacts would be significant (up to 1130 mm of vertical subsidence) and likely would impact on the structural integrity of the tunnel, resulting in a risk to rail safety on the Main Southern Railway Line which runs through the tunnel.

So their solution – move the railway.

On 21 December 2010, Tahmoor submitted an application to the Department seeking to modify the Minister’s consent (DA 67/98) to allow for mining impacts within Area 3, and thereby to support the proposed mining of these longwalls. In order to avoid the potential impacts on rail safety, Tahmoor proposes to build a major deviation of the Main Southern Railway line for 1.9 km around the tunnel. The modification would also involve construction of a new overbridge to facilitate landowner access to their property once the rail track has been completed.

And decommission the redundant tunnel.

If Redbank Tunnel was left open after it is bypassed, then it is likely that some sections of the Tunnel’s masonry lining would experience cracking, shearing and localised spalling and possible collapses as a result of mining subsidence. Tahmoor therefore proposes to fill the tunnel with material excavated during construction of the proposed deviation, mitigating any potential safety hazards to people who might enter the tunnel and reducing subsidence to the natural surface above the tunnel.

Reshaping the landscape.

Assessment Report: Tahmoor North Mine, Redbank Rail Tunnel Deviation Modification

Work on the deviation commenced in June 2012, with the first train using the new route in December the same year.

Rebuilding a bridge

While chasing trains around Picton, a strange looking bridge caught my eye.

The expansion gap looking far too big for the size of the bridge.

It turns out coal mining at Tahmoor Colliery was also the driver here.

Tahmoor Coal Pty Ltd is currently replacing an existing bridge over the Main Southern Railway Line near Picton in NSW, due to proposed mining works. The new bridge is located immediately to the west of an existing brick arch bridge. The rail overbridge is an asset of Transport for New South Wales with Wollondilly Shire Council owning the connecting road.

The new overbridge is required because of potential subsidence impacts from scheduled longwall mining activities in the area in late 2015 which would compromise the safety of the existing bridge structure. The project also involves realignment of the road approaches and the demolition of the existing bridge.

A key issue in the design was the articulation of the bridge which had to cater for large opening/closure movements and large differential vertical and horizontal movements between the two ends of the bridge. A large movement modular deck joint and large movement sliding spherical bearings were adopted to accommodate these potentially large mine subsidence displacements.

Construction commenced in June 2015 and was completed by November the same year.

Landbridges on the Hume

This pair of bridges on the Hume Highway outside Mittagong don’t look at unusual from above.

Google Maps

Or from the road.

Google Street View

But they don’t actually span a watercourse.

Google Street View

But were built in 2000s to bridge a section of land affected by mine subsidence.

Plan to bridge the Hume Highway at Mittagong
5 June 2001

Working with the Federal Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS), the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has commenced preliminary work on the upgrading of the Hume Highway on the Mittagong Bypass.

The south and northbound lanes will be re-built and two new three-lane bridges constructed on this major interstate road corridor as a result of geological changes that have damaged the road surface and surrounding region over time.

To maintain travel conditions for the 16,000 vehicles using this section of the highway every day, the RTA will receive an initial $6 million from the Federal Government to complete planning and to construct median cross-over lanes. These will allow traffic to switch between the north and southbound carriageways once construction of the bridges has commenced.

The crossovers will be located near the Nattai River and Gibbergunyah Creek bridges and are expected to take two months to build.

During construction, lane restrictions will be in place in the area from 7am to 6pm Mondays to Fridays and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

“In recent years, engineers have detected a subsidence in the road caused by the unique geology of the area. However, the current rate of ground movement is extremely slow and presents no short-term risk,” an RTA spokesperson said.

“The area has a very complex geological history, including mining activity at the adjacent Mount Alexandra Coal Mine from the 1950s to the 1970s.

“To ensure the highway continues to provide high standard travel conditions, work on the crossovers has commenced, with construction of the bridges expected to begin later in the year for completion by the end of 2002.”

The RTA expects to let a contract for the bridge works in October. The twin three-lane bridges will be supported by concrete pylons sunk 10 metres into the bedrock and protected from possible future earth movement by steel casings.

The southbound bridge will be built first and then operate temporarily as a single carriageway road carrying traffic in both directions during construction of the second bridge.

“The Hume Highway is Australia’s most important interstate road artery, with funding for improvements and maintenance a Federal Government responsibility,” a Department of Transport and Regional Services spokesperson said.

“Accordingly, the cost of the new bridges will be fully funded by the Federal Government.

“Both the Federal Department and the RTA are working to ensure this essential road route is upgraded quickly and with minimal inconvenience to the travelling public.

Telephone trouble at Tahmoor

Even the Telstra network wasn’t safe from mine subsidence at Tahmoor.

As part of the planning for mining longwall LW32, Tahmoor Coking Coal Operations has identified surface assets which may be affected by the mining operation in Tahmoor north area. Some of these assets belong to Telstra and are part of Telstra’s infrastructure in the area.

Telstra’s major assets in the area are: Tahmoor telephone exchange which is located on the north east corner of Thirlmere Way and Denmead Streets and Picton telephone exchange which is Menangle Street.

As mining has continued north of the telephone exchange the potential for impacts on the major network cable infrastructure has changed as now the longwalls are commencing to impact on the Picton telephone exchange area and the optical fibre cables and copper network to the south of Picton.

The planned longwall mining covering the area.

Management Plan – Longwall Mining beneath Telstra plant at Tahmoor and Picton NSW

With the critical parts of the network being:

a. Optical Fibre Cable – this is predominantly due to the nature of the cable in that it is only able to sustain relatively low ground compressive and tensile strains before the external sheath transfers the strain to the individual fibres within the cable. When this occurs the individual fibres have limited capacity to tolerate tensile or compressive strains before they cause interruption to or failure of transmission systems.

b. Aerial Cable – Aerial cable anchored at adjacent poles or from pole to building can be impacted by ground tilt. Where poles are affected by ground tilt the top of the pole can move such that there is a change in the cable catenery with the potential to either stretch the cable or reduce the ground clearance on the particular cable.

And somehow the legacy copper network got off lightly.

Generally the more extensive Main and Local copper cable network is more robust and able to tolerate reasonable levels of mining induced ground strain. The interaction is complex since the network comprises of very small cable of 5mm diameter up to heavily armoured 60mm diameter cables spread diversely across the entire mining area.

Footnote: and the environment

Water being lost to reservoirs.

NSW’s top water agency has called for curbs on two big coal mines in Sydney’s catchment, saying millions of litres of water are being lost daily and that environmental impacts are likely breaching approval conditions.

Cracks in creeks.

The ground is bulging and cracks are reaching from the surface to the coal seam in a section of Sydney’s drinking water catchment that sits above a mine, according to an independent study commissioned by the state government.

Creeks turning orange.

Flows from a “significant” water source for one of Sydney’s dams are turning orange and disappearing beneath the surface because of an underground coal mine that is slated to expand to beneath the reservoir itself.

180 tonnes of concrete pumped into a creek.

It was meant to be a remediation program to repair extensive mine subsidence damage to Sugarloaf State Conservation Area in the Lower Hunter. Instead it turned one environmental disaster into another. Contractors working for coal giant Glencore Xstrata pumped more than 180 tonnes of concrete into a tributary of Cockle Creek at Lake Macquarie.

And yet new mines are approved beneath reservoirs.

The Berejiklian government has given the nod for the extension of coal mining under one of Greater Sydney’s reservoirs, the first such approval in two decades.

The Planning Department earlier this month told Peabody Energy it could proceed with the extraction of coal from three new longwalls, two of which will go beneath Woronora reservoir.

All of this makes a few damaged bridges and cracked highways pale in comparison.

Further reading

• Mine Subsidence Community Guide (Mine Subsidence Board)
• Impacts of longwall coal mining on the environment in New South Wales (Total Environment Centre, 2007)
• Impacts of underground coal mining on natural features in the Southern Coalfield (NSW Government, 2008)

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Weston Langford photo

Going back in time

Today’s Raleigh Road bridge carries four lanes of traffic into the western Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong.

Lining up with Maribyrnong Road in Ascot Vale.

And used by route 57 trams to West Maribyrnong and route 82 trams to Footscray.

But the bridge didn’t always carry cars – the 1966 Melway shows that road vehicles once had their own bridge to the north.

Melway edition 1, map 28

Taking a dogleg beside the Anglers Tavern, while trams had their own timber trestle bridge.

1945 Department of Lands and Survey photo map

So how did it come to be?

Early years

The first river crossing on the site opened in 1852 – a punt operated by Joseph Raleigh, owner of a nearby meat preserving works, to serve diggers headed to the goldfields. In 1858 the punt was replaced by a pontoon bridge.

SLV photo IAN20/12/66/4

The bridge was soon joined by two hotels – a two story bluestone building called the Raleigh’s Punt Hotel in 1866, followed by the the Anglers Hotel in 1870.

Charles Nettleton photo, SLV H82.246/2

And in 1870 the pontoon bridge was replaced by a sturdier timber bridge, funded by the nearby Melbourne Meat Preserving Works, and local landowner George Petty.

Charles Nettleton photo, SLV H84.79/1

Regular floods on the Maribyrnong River threatened the bridge.

SLV photo H90.160/864

Which needed to be patched up to cater for heavier traffic.

SLV photo H90.160/865

But it took until 1906 for work to start on a replacement. Designed by John Monash with five reinforced concrete spans, each nominally 40 feet (12.2m) in length, work started in 1909 and was completed in 1911.

SLV photo H90.160/866

In the years that followed, local residents agitated for the extension of trams from Ascot Vale into Maribyrnong.

The Age, 10 August 1927

But it took the outbreak of World War II for the tram extension to be approved, to serve the explosives factories on the western side of the Maribyrnong.

The Age, 1 October 1940

As might be expected for wartime, the minimum effort was made – the existing road bridge was left in place, trams being carried over the river by a timber trestle bridge.

A fatal fall

In November 1950 a man walking across the tramway bridge fell and drowned.

The Herald, 10 November 1950

The bridge being a popular shortcut for local residents.

Schoolboys Use Bridge As Short-Cut

The Maribyrnong tramway bridge was perfectly safe for pedestrians, the publicity officer of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tram ways Board, Mr L. E. Russell, said today.

Last night, Edward Kordus, a New Australian, of Raleigh Street, Maribyrnong, was drowned when he slipped into the river from the bridge.

“Hundreds of people pass over the bridge every day,” Mr Russell said. “This is the first fatal accident that I have heard of.”

Today, a Herald reporter and photographer inspected the bridge.

It has three wooden gangways for pedestrians. They are about 2ft. 3in. wide and. are bolted to the tram line sleepers. There is a clear drop through
a two- foot gap, between the sleepers, to the water below.

It would be possible, but unlikely, for a man to slip through. The bridge is lit at night.

Is Short Cut

The reporter saw half-a-dozen people pass unconcernedly over the bridge. They included a small boy who said that he and his schoolmates used the bridge as a short-cut to school.

Pedestrians cut off about 100 yards by using this bridge instead of a neighbouring one, which is for motorists and has only one footpath.

The bridge has notices “Trams Only,” but this is meant to apply only to cars. The gangways were put across the bridge expressly for pedestrians.

But some locals didn’t consider the bridge safe for pedestrians.

I cannot agree with the Tramways Board Publicity Officer that the Maribyrnong River Tramway Bridge is safe for pedestrians. If it were, the board would surely have provided a more convenient approach than by the open cattle pits at the north-east end. It should be stressed that the bridge was erected as a temporary structure during the war and should now be replaced.

New warning signs were soon added.

The tramway bridge over the river at Maribyrnong is often used by pedestrian traffic but this practice is extremely dangerous. Before Christmas a
New Australian fell through the bridge and was drowned and recently another fatality was only narrowly averted.

Notices are posted on the bridge warning people that they must not walk across or use the bridge for swimming but at Monday’s council meeting, Cr. J. McDonald declared that this hadn’t stopped the practice.

He moved that the Tramways Board be asked to prosecute any persons contravening the by-laws.

But the Braybrook Council wanted the bridge replaced.

The necessity to do something about the Tramway bridge over the river at Maribyrnong was mentioned again in the Braybrook Council on Monday.

Though the bridge is purely for trams it is used a lot by pedestrians and last week a New Australian walking along fell through the bridge and was drowned in the river.

Cr. J. McDonald said that the traffic bridge alongside was almost as dangerous.

The Council only recently gave consideration to’ improving the bridge and has been in contact with several government departments who are interested parties.

It was decided to ask the authorities to expedite the reply to the Council’s proposition.

Cr. Dobson said that residents of the area should be told that the Council had been active over the matter.

And the new bridge

In the years that followed the tramway and road bridges continued to deteriorate, but it took until the 1960s for work to start on a replacement – a seven span bridge 145 metres (478 feet) long, carrying a roadway 15 metres (50 feet) between kerbs with two 2 metre (7 feet) footpaths.

The first stage being ground stabilisation for the western abutment.

Country Roads Board annual report 1965

Followed by a complicated juggling act.

A.E. Smith photo, SLV H83156/49

Equipment set up on one track.

Country Roads Board annual report 1967

While the foundations for the new bridge were driven.

Country Roads Board annual report 1967

The new piers were built alongside the existing timber trestle.

A.E. Smith photo, SLV H83156/47

While trams continued to use it.

A.E. Smith photo, SLV H83156/51

The Country Roads Board describing the process in their 1967 annual report.

The 1964/65 and 1965/66 Annual Reports described the methods adopted to accelerate the consolidation of the compressible strata at the Sunshine abutment. This report refers to the construction procedures used, in view of tram traffic requirements and the confined space for pile driving.

The new bridge is on the same alignment as the original timber and steel girder tramway bridge. Stage construction methods have been used as described below, to maintain the two-way tram service while this bridge is under construction. Road traffic has continued to use the existing road bridge.

Stage 1

Step 1. The tram traffic was restricted to the existing upstream track while the pier pile groups at the downstream side of the new bridge were driven.

Step 2. The tram traffic was restricted to the existing downstream track while the pier pile groups on the upstream side of the new bridge were driven. The downstream pile caps and columns were constructed during this stage.

Step 3. The tram traffic was restricted to the existing upstream track, ,and the downstream track and the downstream section of the superstructure were demolished. The abutment piles were driven and then the pier and abutment crossheads and the superstructure for the downstream side of the new bridge were constructed.

Step 4. The tram traffic was restricted to a temporary single track located on the Stage 1 deck of the new bridge.

Stage 2

Step 1. The upstream superstructure was demolished and the abutment piles beneath the upstream track were driven and the upstream crossheads and superstructure completed.

Step 2. The tram tracks were located at the final position on the structure.

Step 3. Tram traffic was permitted on the final location two way, double track.

The two stages of the superstructure are separated by a longitudinal joint running the full length of the bridge.

And the design of the foundations.

The bridge foundations consist of concrete filled 18 inches diameter steel shell piles up to 70 feet long in the abutments and up to 60 feet long in the piers. At some of the pile groups it was necessary to use a special pile toe incorporating an RSJ to penetrate hard layers above the contract level and to achieve the required degree of fixity. The pile driving was done with a B.S.P. diesel hammer on hanging leaders supported from Dutch shear legs. This type of pile driving frame was very suitable for this site where working space was extremely confined.

Once the new bridge was completed, the 1911 concrete bridge by John Monash was demolished.

Country Roads Board annual report 1967

Giving the scene seen today.

Footnote: another upgrade

Now pedestrian and cyclist traffic is overwhelming the current bridge, so $2.7 million is being spent to widen the paths on each side of the bridge.

The Raleigh Road Bridge shared user path and surrounding trails are popular routes for cyclists and pedestrians.

The Victorian Government is investing $2.7 million to provide new three-metre-wide paths on each side of the Raleigh Road Bridge.

With over 33,000 vehicles and 3,000 pedestrians and cyclists each day, the Raleigh Road bridge upgrade will provide a safer experience for locals and drivers alike.

The shared user path upgrade will provide safer active transport infrastructure by:

• Providing a safer crossing for cyclists and pedestrians on the Raleigh Road Bridge through increasing the path width to 3.0m on both sides
• Improving connections to the river trails to the north and south of the bridge
• Relocate tram poles to remove fixed hazards
• Upgrades to the bridge barriers.

We’re starting works in November 2020 and expect to complete construction by early 2021.

Sources

• Country Roads Board annual report 1967
• The Herald, 10 November 1950
• Maribyrnong Heritage Review – Volume 2: Environmental History
• Living Museum of the West – Ecomuseum Broadsheet: Getting Around
• Victorian Places: Maribyrnong
• Timeline of the bridge rebuilding

And a few more photos

• X2 class tram No 678 heads across the old bridge in 1962
• Looking towards and along the old bridge.
• ‘Bathing and diving prohibited’ sign on the old bridge.
• Looking south-west and north-east over the bridge replacement works.
• Single track over the bridge and with one track gone during the works.

Postscript: Melbourne’s other tram bridges

After putting this post together, I realised there were a few more tramway only bridges in Melbourne.

The Miller Street’ hump next to Preston Workshops connects St Georges Road to High Street.

The tangle of bridges at St Kilda Junction.

And one carrying the route 59 tracks over the Calder Freeway at Airport West.

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