Bridges

Progress Street level crossing removal is part of the Victoria Big Build Level Crossing Removal Project. As part of the project, a new Fowler Road Bridge over Eumemmerring Creek connects Progress Street and Fowler Road, improving safety outcomes for the surrounding industrial precinct. The project is a joint effort between Beca (Designers), Metropolitan Roads Program Alliance (MRPA) comprising of Level Crossing Removal Project, Fulton Hogan and Metro Trains Melbourne, various interfacing stakeholders to arrive at a simplistic solution in a complex environment.

Fowler Road Bridge is a single span integral bridge unique in its careful balance of stiffness between superstructure and substructure to address constraints associated with the waterway, adjacent properties and underground HV electrical asset and vitrified clay sewer. This achieved a more slender than typical Super-T superstructure whilst maintaining a single row of piles to reduce construction footprint. In addition, the design implements changes to typical integral bridge construction sequence and reinforcement detailing to avoid common construction clashes, resulting in a multitude of construction benefits.

In addition to the project, this paper presents a comparison of integral bridge design options and analysis discussion for special consideration in small scale bridges.