The rehabilitation of Princes Bridge

Princes Bridge is Melbourne's grandest bridge linking the southern commercial and art centres to the heart of the city. It is one of the busiest bridges in Australia servicing vehicular, trams and extensive pedestrian traffic. Built in 1888 it has significant heritage value. The bridge was last painted in the 1970s, and as a result the paintwork throughout the structure had deteriorated to such an extent that it was no longer providing corrosion protection in many areas. The decorative features had significantly deteriorated and required significant rehabilitation. In addition an initial load assessment indicated the bridge was significantly under strength for current legally loaded vehicles. With the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2006, the City of Melbourne decided to undertake an extensive rehabilitation of Princes Bridge with the following objectives: repair and repaint all of the decorative features on the bridge in accordance with the heritage values of the bridge; remove all of the existing lead paint from the bridge and repaint with a long term corrosion protection system; and assess the bridge through a performance load test and undertake strengthening works to meet current legal loads accordingly. The works have been delivered to a high standard of workmanship with all of the technical issues resolved well in advance of the Commonwealth Games. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214936.