Despite extensive concrete repairs, installation of netting to contain concrete spalling is being fast-tracked for Brisbane’ s Story Bridge, which is in need of major restoration.
A report released by Brisbane City Council details a list of concrete repairs to the iconic structure in recent decades including footpath resurfacing in 2002 and 2017, concrete repairs program from 2011 to the present, with extensive concrete repairs since 2019.
According to the Story Bridge Restoration report, the 85 year-old structure, opened in 1940, “is reaching the end of its design life” and its dual footpath structures on either side of the bridge have “been deteriorating over time and have limited life span left”.
Queensland consortium Evans Deakin Hornibrook Constructions began construction in 1935 of what would become Australia’s largest steel cantilever bridge at 1072 metres-long. The Story Bridge comprises 21 spans made from 38,000 cubic metres of concrete and 12 steel spans of 11,800 tonnes of structural steel and two million rivets. The main bridge consists of a central span of 282 metres and two anchor spans of 82 metres, with a total length of 446 metres. The central span consists of two cantilever arms each 94 metres long, supporting a 94-metre suspended span.
A 2021 Engineers Australia’s brochure on the Story Bridge details cement from Queensland Cement and Lime Company, coral from Morton Bay, coal from Ipswich, South Australian gypsum, gravel from the Brisbane River and sand from the Pine River north of Brisbane. BHP in Newcastle and Australian Iron and Steel at Port Kembla supplied 11,800 tonnes of structure steel and 1600 tonnes of reinforcing steel.
Image: Concrete being poured in 1936 during the construction of Brisbane’s Story Bridge. Almost 400 people worked on the bridge during peak construction. Credit: State Library of Queensland.
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia, at the helm since December 2013, and our weekly news writer since 2016. Focused on concrete and construction for more than 11 years, her expertise in this field forms part of a journalism career spanning three decades. To get in touch please email desi@corbettcomms.com