King Street Bridge (Melbourne)

The King Street Bridge takes King Street over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia. The bridge continues south as an elevated viaduct, with the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex built around it in later years.

History

The bridge was designed in 1959 by Utah Australia for the Country Roads Board, and constructed over the next two years,cite web
url=http://seven.com.au/catalogueFiles/news/media/080616_Scan001.pdf
title=King Street Bridge - southern approach and down ramps: Report on possible rehabilitation solutions
author=Kellog Brown and Root
date=November 13, 2006
accessdate=2008-06-17 (accessed via FoI by Channel 7 news)] being opened on 12 April 1961. It was of a welded, deck-girder, suspended-span construction with spans up to convert|160|ft|m long. Soon after completion, on 10 July 1962, one span collapsed under the weight of a 47 ton semi-trailer, though the weight was within the bridge limits. The failure was due to brittle fracture on a very cold Melbourne winter day. [cite web
url=http://iiw-wg5.cv.titech.ac.jp/case/Other%20cases/King.htm
title=King Street Bridge in Melbourne
publisher=iiw-wg5.cv.titech.ac.jp
accessdate=2008-06-17] The south end of the bridge has been undergoing differential settlement between the approach ramps resting on fill, and the suspended section supported by bored piles. [cite web
url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23874897-2862,00.html
title=Melbourne city's Kings Bridge cracking up | Herald Sun
publisher=www.news.com.au
date=June 17, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-17]

As originally constructed the bridge had 8 lanes across the Yarra River - 2 though lanes in each direction connecting King Street to Kingsway, in addition to 2 lanes on each side that connected to Yarra Bank Road. At the south end north facing on and off ramps connected to Whiteman Street, and the running lanes from the viaduct decend to ground level, with tram route 55 emerging from City Road to the median strip. [cite web
url=http://www.custommaps.net/images/043.jpg
title=Melway Edition 1
date=1966
publisher=www.custommaps.net
accessdate=2008-06-17] In later years the development of Crown Casino closed Yarra Bank Road, and the bridge ramps were connected to the basement carpark of the complex. [cite web
url=http://archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199707&article=9&typeon=2
title=Melbourne Casino
work=Architecture Australia
date=July/August 1997
publisher=archmedia.com.au
accessdate=2008-06-17] [cite web
url=http://books.google.com.au/books?id=78kj_gMdwxcC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=kings+bridge+melbourne+casino+built&source=web&ots=ZCfE5gQRCv&sig=zWP46tFjQcGAf94UzD88ftppgw0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result#PPA63,M1
title=Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne's Urban Waterfront
author=Kim Dovey, Leonie Sandercock
publisher=UNSW Press
year=2004
accessdate=2008-06-17]

References

External links

* [http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/miscpics/0/1/8/doc/mp018967.shtml Transporting of girder through South Melbourne]