HomeNews and InsightsNewsGHD helps realise landmark footbridge in time for...
With the Australian Open underway in Melbourne, GHD is proud to have helped create a new way for thousands of fans to access the city's sporting precinct.
GHD is one of the world's leading professional services companies with extensive experience in realising innovative designs for landmark bridges.
The new Tanderrum Bridge forms an unbroken pedestrian link from Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Park, reducing travel time and eliminating the need to cross a busy road at street level. The bridge extends from Birrarung Marr over Batman Avenue into Melbourne Park over a length of approximately 300 m and a width of 8 m (7.5 m clear width from handrail to handrail). The main bridge spans measure 44 m with a 1100 mm deep steel box girder with 200 mm concrete deck.
The company's involvement with the Tanderrum Bridge began with a design competition, which it won together with John Wardle Architects (JWA), NADAAA, and OCULUS in September 2014. The completed structure was officially opened in December 2016.
Gerald Lovell, GHD Principal Structural Engineer, says, "The use of the steel box girder highlights how a lightweight steel section can produce a bridge structure that could span 44 m over a busy road and yet be slender enough to achieve vertical clearances over Batman Avenue and under the Federation footbridge whilst retaining accessibility ramps. The challenges with construction stage deflections and the dynamic response under pedestrian loading were managed with a significant precamber and tuned mass dampers respectively. Positioning the box girder profile below the deck helped achieve Major Projects Victoria's goal of both 'the appreciation of the landscape from the bridge and the appreciation of the bridge from the landscape'."
The name 'Tanderrum' refers to a welcoming ceremony by the people of the Kulin nation of Victoria, involving song, dance and cultural exchange.
The bridge is a key part of Stage 2 of the Melbourne Park Redevelopment project. GHD's scope in Stage 2 also included an elevated concourse area with office and ancillary spaces below, modifications to the existing Federation footbridge, landscape and lighting works.