Bridges

The Neville Bonner Bridge is a unique hybrid arch-cable-stayed pedestrian bridge spanning 320 m across the Brisbane River and constructed as part of the Queens Wharf Brisbane development. The structure comprises a slender composite concrete deck supported with stay cables connected to the tapered steel arch and mast of the iconic white 'ribbon' structure. With maximum clear span of 140 m, and total height above the river of 75 m, the structure was very slender and required considerable analytical analysis and design of all main components.

The objective of this paper is to describe the technical solution that evolved over the progressive design stages. The design addressed the challenges of stage constructing the slender 'ribbon' structure over the Brisbane River. The paper describes the flood resilience of the bridge foundation design including riverbed scour assessment.

The Brisbane River is a major waterway, subject to maritime traffic, and a barge impact force was required to be designed for by the Port Authority. Due to the slenderness of the deck structure, the bridge was identified to be susceptible to pedestrian footfall and wind dynamic effects, and the paper describes the dynamic analysis was undertaken to specify the requirements for tuned mass dampers. All cables are designed with sufficient redundancy, and a specific time-history 'accidental cable loss' analysis was undertaken. Cable dampers were required to four of the main deck cables to limit wind oscillations of the cables in service. Steel fabrication details are presented in the paper.

The design of a complex structure, such as the Neville Bonner Bridge, required a collaborative team effort. It cannot be overstated the importance of a collaborative approach not just within the design team, but also between the contractor, fabricators, designers, and stakeholders. The paper demonstrates that the Neville Bonner Bridge is an excellent example of what can be achieved when a team work together for a common outcome.