❓ Hon Barry House questions Main Roads WA about bridge maintenance budgets, research, and compliance with Australian Standards, particularly on major highways. The response details budget allocations, research activities, and explains that older bridges may not meet current standards but are managed through vehicle permitting.
AnsweredQoN 5538Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) What is Main Roads Western Australia’s budget for bridge maintenance?
(2) What is Main Roads Western Australia’s budget for research into better methods of strengthening bridge structures?
(3) Has Main Roads Western Australia requested additional funding for bridge assessment and repair?
(4) If yes to (3), what is the status of this request?
(5) Have 45 or more bridges on major routes such as the Great Northern Highway and North West Coastal Highway been identified as failing to meet the requirements for shear capacity stated in the Australian Standards?
(2) What is Main Roads Western Australia’s budget for research into better methods of strengthening bridge structures?
(3) Has Main Roads Western Australia requested additional funding for bridge assessment and repair?
(4) If yes to (3), what is the status of this request?
(5) Have 45 or more bridges on major routes such as the Great Northern Highway and North West Coastal Highway been identified as failing to meet the requirements for shear capacity stated in the Australian Standards?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
16 October 2007
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
Response time
20 days
(1) $13.6 million in 2007/08
(2) Main Roads has a number of technical and engineering staff involved in a range of activities directly related to bridge design, inspection, assessment and maintenance, and liaising with other state road authorities and overseas authorities on an ongoing basis on bridge technologies and research. These activities are funded through various components of Main Roads' annual budget allocation. Specific recent and current activities include a number of projects to assist in the effective management of bridge assets; contract to assess the performance of a number of bridges in the Kimberley region and to purchase and trial new inspection equipment; and ongoing research and assessment of a new strengthening option for longitudinal shear in pre-cast beam and slab bridges. Based on the outcome of this project, it is planned to develop a special strengthening program for selected bridges of this type. One of Main Roads' larger recent research projects involved the test loading of a flat slab bridge near Baandee Lakes. The result of this testing enabled Main Roads to re-evaluate and increase the safe load rating capacities for punching shear and slab shear for flat slab bridges.
(3) Funds have been made available for specific bridge assessment through the annual Budget process.
(4) Refer to (3) above.
(5) As outlined in response to Question Without Notice 669, bridges designed and built prior to 1999 would not conform to the current Australian Standard and that will be true of most bridges on Great Northern Highway and North West Coastal Highway. This does not mean they are deficient for their current usage and purpose. The system of vehicle permitting and, if necessary, load restrictions, provide an appropriate mechanism to limit the loads on the bridges to within their capacity.
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(2) Main Roads has a number of technical and engineering staff involved in a range of activities directly related to bridge design, inspection, assessment and maintenance, and liaising with other state road authorities and overseas authorities on an ongoing basis on bridge technologies and research. These activities are funded through various components of Main Roads' annual budget allocation. Specific recent and current activities include a number of projects to assist in the effective management of bridge assets; contract to assess the performance of a number of bridges in the Kimberley region and to purchase and trial new inspection equipment; and ongoing research and assessment of a new strengthening option for longitudinal shear in pre-cast beam and slab bridges. Based on the outcome of this project, it is planned to develop a special strengthening program for selected bridges of this type. One of Main Roads' larger recent research projects involved the test loading of a flat slab bridge near Baandee Lakes. The result of this testing enabled Main Roads to re-evaluate and increase the safe load rating capacities for punching shear and slab shear for flat slab bridges.
(3) Funds have been made available for specific bridge assessment through the annual Budget process.
(4) Refer to (3) above.
(5) As outlined in response to Question Without Notice 669, bridges designed and built prior to 1999 would not conform to the current Australian Standard and that will be true of most bridges on Great Northern Highway and North West Coastal Highway. This does not mean they are deficient for their current usage and purpose. The system of vehicle permitting and, if necessary, load restrictions, provide an appropriate mechanism to limit the loads on the bridges to within their capacity.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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