The Tourle Street Bridge site is the only direct link between Newcastle and the industrial area of Kooragang Island. The 1km stretch of road forms a part of one of the region’s busiest traffic thoroughfares, MR108, which continues on to Newcastle Airport and RAAF Williamtown and the rapidly growing tourist and residential areas of Port Stephens.
With industry on Kooragang Island developing rapidly, the bridge removes another hindrance to very heavy vehicles accessing the island. It also removes the need for ongoing deck maintenance, which was previously a source of many night closures of the existing bridge.
Arenco was engaged to construct the 255 metre, 8 span prestressed concrete girder bridge to replace the existing fully operational steel lattice truss bridge. The construction consisted of both river and land based piles supporting piers and abutments. The superstructure consisted of prestressed concrete girders and cast in-situ reinforced concrete decks.
A high standard of environmental planning, focus and management was adopted that allowed the project to meet environmentally sustainable design principles and minimise construction impacts to the surrounding marine ecology.
To protect the pile, abutment and pier concrete from the severe marine environment, cathodic protection was introduced.
The concrete girders were placed using Arenco’s 70 metre long ‘Launching System’. This system is capable of launching prestressed girders 40 metres long and up to 90 tonnes in weight.
