The restoration and repairs of the Sir William Goodman Bridge designed by Sir John Monash, Adelaide

This paper examines the engineering design and project management of the restoration and repairs to a heritage listed tram bridge in Adelaide. The bridge built in 1908 is the second oldest reinforced concrete girder bridge in South Australia. The bridge has performed remarkably well for over 100 years and is a tribute to the original designer, (Sir) John Monash, one of the early pioneers of reinforced concrete in Australia. The bridge was originally designed as a tramway bridge; it then became a one-way car bridge in the 1950s and now is a pedestrian/cyclist bridge. During an audit of the bridge in 2010, because of the extent of reinforcement corrosion and cracking of the concrete, the bridge was immediately closed causing concern to residents and the public who used the bridge. From the repairs and reconstruction and other sources, it became evident that reinforcement corrosion was initiated by stray electrical currents from the trams, commencing early last century, although this was not initially understood. The bridge was subject to many investigations and reports, and because two Councils owned the bridge, there was difficulty in agreeing on what should be done with the bridge. One Council wanted to restore the bridge, and one wanted to demolish it and build a new bridge. This political situation was overcome by one Council giving their half of the bridge to the other Council together with a monetary reimbursement. The restored and repaired bridge was reopened to the public in September 2014 as a cyclist/pedestrian bridge. This paper reviews in particular the structural engineering and project management of the concrete repairs and restoration of a heritage concrete bridge, including the investigations, preliminary design,