Publications

This webinar, presented on 29 April 2020, discusses the merits of three options to advance the future of PBS access in Australia as it relates to bridges. The webinar explains the role that PBS bridge formulae play in vehicle design and approval. It…

The May 2018 National Transport Commission review of the Australian Performance-Based Standards (PBS) scheme revealed the need to improve the efficiency of heavy vehicle access via the PBS scheme to access substantial national freight productivity,…

Steel in bridge construction in Australia has declined significantly over the last 40 years from around 25% of bridges to as low as 5% of bridges in recent years. The main reasons for this have been the proliferation of precast prestressed concrete…

Australia still has thousands of timber bridges in service which were designed and constructed long ago to carry lighter loads than they now carry. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads manages in excess of 300 timber bridges, of…

Roads and Maritime Services currently manages about 5600 bridges and bridge size culverts in New South Wales (NSW). These bridges were built during the last 150 years for various design loadings, structural forms and materials. Some of these bridges…

Timber bridges are enjoying a revival around the world for pedestrian and vehicular use. There are several reasons for this. Growing interest in reducing CO2 emissions and increasing sustainability has paved the way in part. New and innovative use…

The Coonamit Bridge is a Dare-type timber truss road bridge and was built in 1929. It is a representative example of a Dare timber truss road bridge and is assessed as being of state heritage significance, primarily on the basis of its technical and…

A key component to improving freight productivity in Australia is to improve access to the network for heavy vehicle operators. Assessment of bridge capacity is perceived to be critical to this aim.

Since the introduction of the limit state design method for Australian bridge design in the Austroads Bridge Design Code in 1992, there has not been an associated limit states timber bridge design code. The last applicable code was the working…