Bridges

Old Murray Bridge is located east of the township of Murray Bridge and spans the River Murray and the river flats on the eastern side of the river. It was opened in 1879 and was the first permanent bridge crossing over the River Murray in South Australia. It is included on the South Australian Register of State Heritage places.

Different maintenance related issues have been identified for the river span section and long viaduct section of the bridge. Some of these issues include corrosion of the river piers, widespread corrosion of the superstructure, significant movement of Pier 26 and rotting of the timber packing under the bearings. A major refurbishment project is currently underway to address these issues and extend the serviceable life of the bridge by 30 years.

The paper will focus in detail on the challenges faced undertaking maintenance on the heritage listed Old Murray Bridge.