Rawdon Island Bridge repair

Project background

Council have completed the repair and rehabilitation of Rawdon Island Bridge in partnership with Councils contractor Duratec Ltd.

Following the March 2021 floods, we completed underwater inspections of our entire bridge network. Through these underwater inspections, we found major structural issues with the pylons supporting Rawdon Island Bridge. The impairments were significant and to manage public safety, we closed the bridge and the waterway beneath it to all traffic between Monday 5 July 2021 and Monday 30 August 2021.

Significant investigations and design was undertake to inform the works, with underwater repairs being completed in February 2022 allowing load limits and traffic restrictions to be removed.

Above water repairs to the concrete piers, bridge girders and the deck was completed December 2022. This included the installation of a corrosion protection system on the bridge to increase the useful life of the structure, which was commission in August 2023.

Completed works

Physical works on the bridge were completed in December 2022 and the cathodic protection system commissioned in August 2023. The Project is now complete.

The benefits realised by completion of the Rawdon Island Repair Project was the reinstatement of critical infrastructure providing the link to the Rawdon Island community, and included:

Emergency actions

The bridge was closed to the public to address safety concerns associated with potential structural collapse.
Community support measures were established including additional car parking, lighting, pedestrian fencing, security measures, garbage disposal services and bus service.
Regular meetings and updates were provided.

Short term

Options assessments were completed to determine the preferred solution considering bridge repairs, bridge replacements, alternate routes, and other access arrangements including barges and punts.
Structural investigations, assessments, bridge load testing, and live structural monitoring were completed to scope the repairs, and allow the bridge to be re-opened within two months of closure under strict conditions (5 tonnes at 10 km/h, single vehicle on the bridge, single lane upstream operations only with manned traffic control)
Heavy vehicle barge was engaged and boat ramps were constructed to allow heavy vehicle access to the island within two months of bridge closure.

Medium term

Critical underwater bridge repairs were completed at Pier 3 and Pier 4 within six months of the bridge closure, allowing the bridge load limit to be raised from 5 tonne to 42.5 tonne
Completion of underwater bridge repairs completed within eight months of the bridge closure, allowing normal operations to be reinstated (two lanes, 42.5 tonne load limit)

Long term

Concrete repairs and protective coating to all bridge foundations and substructure elements were completed.
Provision of Impressed Current Cathodic Protection system to the bridge piers to prevent future corrosion of these elements.
Repair of the existing defects including deck joints, deck surface and soffit repairs, girder ends and diaphragms, abutment headwalls, and reinstatement of scour protection at abutments.

Location

Rawdon Island Road, 2446 View Map

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Contact details

Stakeholder Relations

(02) 6581 8111

stakeholder.relations@pmhc.nsw.gov.au