THE condition of the 50-year-old San Remo Bridge is set to undergo extensive testing.
Whether it gets a clean bill of health or needs major work will be revealed “in coming months” when the Department of Transport and Planning carries out a “planned maintenance program” including the use of expert divers to assess the condition of the bridge’s underwater structure.
While the testing is going on, there will be restrictions on the use of the bridge including temporary speed reductions and lane closures.
The news that there will be further restrictions on the use of the bridge comes a couple of weeks after the department announced a 42.5 tonne limit from July 1, 2024 until late September 2024, as part of Westernport Water’s Pipeline Bracket Renewal project.
But these latest lane and speed restrictions are not associated with the pipeline works.
They instead relate to concerns about the condition of the bridge’s structure.
When the new San Remo Bridge was built by contractors John Holland and opened in November 1969, it featured the traditional construction method of reinforced concrete.
Normally, covering the steel structure of a bridge with concrete will reduce the rate of corrosion of the steel, even in a harsh coastal setting, to a very low, even negligible level.
However, circumstances do arise in which corrosion of reinforcement occurs. Since rust has a larger volume than the steel from which it is formed, tensile forces occur and the result can be cracking, rust-staining, or even spalling of the concrete cover, that is cracks below the surface which can cause slabs of material to “spall” off.
The testing to be undertaken over the next few months will identify the extent to which this damage may have occurred at San Remo.
The Sentinel-Times raised concerns about the concrete and steel structure of the San Remo Bridge recently, asking if the condition of the bridge might require extensive work in the future.
The following response was provided by Beth Liley, Executive Director, Gippsland, Department of Transport and Planning:
“Our crews will be inspecting the San Remo Bridge in the coming months as part of our planned maintenance program,” Ms Liley said.
“We will minimise disruptions where we can, but to protect everyone’s safety there will be temporary speed reductions and lane closures at off-peak times, and we’ll keep the community updated on these changes.”
By way of background, the Department of Transport and Planning said they will begin carrying out inspections on the San Remo-Phillip Island Bridge over the coming months.
The department said they regularly undertake inspections on assets and structures across Victoria as part of its planned maintenance program, completing various checks and assessments.
“Specialised crews will inspect the surface, sides and underneath of the bridge with minimal disruption to traffic, and expert divers will also be used for underwater structural inspections.
“These inspections will happen concurrently with Westernport Water’s project to refurbish the main drinking water and sewage infrastructure connected to the underside of the San Remo Bridge.
“A 40km/h speed limit and lane closures will be in place at times to protect everyone’s safety when the team needs to work close to traffic.
“Lane closures on the bridge will be limited to Mondays to Thursdays between 9.30am and 3pm to avoid the daily peak hours and will not occur during school holidays or weekends.”
The department spokesperson said there would be no disruption to traffic on Fridays during the inspection work to avoid delays for people traveling to Phillip Island for the weekend.
Meanwhile, B-double and double decker cattle trucks which exceed 42.5 tonne will not be able to cross the bridge from July 1, 2024 until the Pipeline Bracket Renewal project is complete.
The works are timed to be finished well before the running of the Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit between October 18 and 20 when dozens of big semis and B-doubles rumble across the bridge connecting the island to the mainland.
At the time the Westernport Water-initiated restrictions were announced, Ms Liley said it was about safety for contractors and road users while the pipeline works were progressing.
“Mass limits are necessary to protect the structural integrity of the bridge, ensuring the safety of all road users and contractors,” Ms Liley said.
“The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is responsible for compliance of the heavy vehicle mass limits and will monitor compliance as part of their everyday compliance activities when working in this area.”
