Last year, the Western Australian Government earmarked the 86-year-old timber bridge over the Collie River near Burekup for replacement.
Servicing an average of 6000 vehicles a day, of which around 18 per cent are heavy vehicles, the bridge is a vital link for the local community and freight routes.
The replacement of the bridge comes under the national Bridges Renewal Program, which is designed to bolster the productivity of local bridges, to better serve communities and drive greater efficiency in road freight and traffic movement throughout the country.
In August 2015, the state government awarded Watpac Civil & Mining the contract to construct a new, modern bridge over the Collie River. The project, in addition to building the bridge, includes the construction of a culvert over the Collie River Floodway as well as realignment works on a 1.7-kilometre section of the South Western Highway in Burekup.
The bridge, constructed downstream from the existing bridge, is a three-span precast concrete structure founded on reinforced piles. It will include upgraded safety barriers and the natural riverbank will be enhanced with rock protection, and other modifications to improve erosion control as part of the project
MJB Industries, a Western Australian precast concrete supplier and National Precast Member, was contracted to supply the precast culvert components for the project. Bill Wright, MJB Industries General Manager, says reinforced concrete box culverts were always the right precast solution for the task set before them.
The precaster supplied 140 2700-millimetre by 2700-millimetre span reinforced concrete box culverts to replace the smaller crossing over the Collie River floodway. The culverts were manufactured to Main Roads Western Australia standards.
MJB also supplied additional 160-kilonewton load, ancillary precast drainage pipes to Main Roads Western Australia specifications.
Western Australian Minister for Transport Dean Nalder said in a statement last year that the new improvements will improve safety for Burekup residents and the increasing number of vehicles using that section of the South Western Highway. “The new bridge is a long-term investment in local infrastructure because it will have a longer life span and lower maintenance costs,” he said.