NationMaster - Encyclopedia: West Gate Bridge

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 western suburbs with the industrial suburbs in the west and with the city of Geelong, 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) to the south-west. West Gate Bridge from West Gate Park. ... Melbourne as seen from south-east side along the Yarra River, home of many rowers and active crew teams The Yarra River is a river in southern Victoria (Australia); it is the river on which the city of Melbourne was founded. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more pillars, with cables supporting the roadbed. ... AADT - Annual Average Daily Traffic flow - is a term used mainly in transportation planning, but increasingly for websites. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Schematic plan of Hoddles allotments for the village of Melbourne, March,1837 Each block was further subdivided into 20 allotments each 76 perches in area Map of central Melbourne Melbournes CBD. The Hoddle Grid is the layout of the streets in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. ... Moorabool St, Geelong A view of Corio Bay from Moorabool Street. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more pillars, with cables supporting the roadbed. ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Capital Melbourne Government Const. ... Melbourne as seen from south-east side along the Yarra River, home of many rowers and active crew teams The Yarra River is a river in southern Victoria (Australia); it is the river on which the city of Melbourne was founded. ... There is also Local Government Area called the City of Port Phillip. ... Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... Moorabool St, Geelong A view of Corio Bay from Moorabool Street. ... km redirects here. ...

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 metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour carrying rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. ...

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

Transportation

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. The Bolte Bridge, Melbourne The Bolte Bridge is a large twin Cantilever bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... CityLink is a tolled freeway system in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway is a type of highway that is designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections. ...

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). The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, ca. ... Anchor bend The Anchor Bend is a knot. ... Scienceworks in Melbourne, Australia, and ScienceWorks in Ashland, Oregon, are museums dedicated to educating visitors in science and technology, while providing an entertaining destination for a family outing. ...

History

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. October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... In aircraft design, see Wingspan. ... For the type of foundation, see Deep foundation. ...

There was a difference in camber of 11.4 centimetres (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. Camber may refer to: Camber, East Sussex, a seaside resort in England, near to Camber Sands. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... A tonne or metric ton (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. ... Structural failure refers to loss of the load-carying capacity of a component or member within the structure or of the structure itself. ...

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. In states that are Commonwealth Realms a Royal Commission is a major government public inquiry into an issue. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... I NEED TO FUCK SOMEONE! I AM TIRED OF PORN! SOMEONE HELP ME! ... In large construction projects, such as skyscrapers, cranes are essential. ... A general contractor is an organization or individual that contracts with another organization or individual (the owner) for the construction of a building, road or other facility. ...

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. Menzies Building at the Clayton Campus Monash University is Australias largest university with about 55,000 students. ... Monash Universitys Clayton Campus is the main campus of Monash University located in Clayton, Victoria. ...

Completion

Completed in 1978 after 10 years of construction, the bridge, a part of the larger West Gate Freeway, cost $202 million. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... West Gate Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne linking Geelong to Melbourne CBD and beyond. ...

The West Gate Bridge was originally tolled but is now toll-free with the tolls being lifted after only 6 years. A toll road, tollway, turnpike, pike or tollpike is a road on which a toll authority collects a toll (i. ...

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. Traffic jam redirects here. ...

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. The Public Transport Users Association, founded in 1976 as the Train Travellers Association, is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne. ... Environment Victoria is Victorias peak non-government environment organisation. ...

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. May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

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). February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour carrying rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. ... The Sydney Harbour Tunnel is a tunnel in Sydney, Australia. ...

Contents

Transportation

Motor Vehicles

Cycling and the Westgate

History

Collapse

Completion

Future

See also

External links

Contents

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Motor Vehicles

Cycling and the Westgate

History

Collapse

Completion

Future

See also

External links

Transportation