Project profile.

Brief:

Bridge over Flowerdale River

40m long, two span, two lane bridge replacement of the flood damaged existing bridge.

Contractor: VEC Civil Engineering

Engineering Edge designed the replacement Lapoinya Road bridge when the original timber bridge was washed away in the June 2016 floods. The two lane, two span bridge, was constructed using precast super t-beams, precast pier blocks and integral concrete abutments.

challenges:

Design and construct solution in a river with rapid flow rates. Central pier had to be constructed in the river to resist significant flood forces.

the rare innovation:

The pier was designed to be founded on driven steel piles to resist the vertical and horizontal forces and then vertically stressed concrete blocks were used to remove the need for formwork and access into the river.

key benefits:

Increased quality control from the precast operation, as well as a combination of integral abutments, bearings at the pier but continuous deck to allow the bridge deck to act as a diaphragm in ultimate flood conditions rather than relying on the pier acting as a cantilever.