Famous Bridge Mishaps and Collapses 2 Westgate Bridge (Australia)
Natural bridge collapse
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Two years into construction, at precisely 11.50 am on 15th October 1970, a span between piers ten and eleven of the West Gate Bridge collapsed. Two thousand tonnes of steel and concrete crashed 50 metres into the Yarra below, taking with it the lives of 35 workers. Soon after, the government announced a Royal Commission into the accident. After eight months of investigation, the Commission concluded that the cause of the accident was a structural failure, brought on by the removal of bolts in an attempt to line up sections of the bridge. It was an accident that could well have been avoided but the lessons learnt from this disaster are taught to engineers today. The accident delayed the construction of the bridge by four years.
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The Westgate Bridge provides a link over the banks of the Yarra River between Melbourne’s sprawling western suburbs and downtown Melbourne. It stretches over two and a half kilometres, making it the third longest bridge in Australia. Completed in 1978 at a cost of $202 million, it now carries 190 0000 cars a day. As proud as Victorians are of this magnificent bridge, it also has a sad place in history; as the site of one of Australia's worst industrial accidents.
London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria Wikimedia Commons
© ReadyEdInP ub l i ca t i on s 1990, a natural arch bridge collapsed. Known as the London Bridge, it could be seen along shoreline on the Great •f orr evi ew pu r p othese so n l y •
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A memorial has been built at the bridge to remember the workers who were injured and lost their lives.
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Ocean Road in Victoria. At the time, two tourists were trapped on the second natural arch that remained. A helicopter was called to air-lift them to safety. Use the website below to help explain why the bridge collapsed. Present an oral report to a Safety Board recommending what to do with the bridge next to make it safe.
www.ga.gov.au/urban/factsheets/shore_ safety_arches.jsp