The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) recently commissioned the National Asset Centre of Excellence (NACOE) and the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) to produce a report which details the current market options for rapid bridge construction to replace timber bridges. The report includes detail on the major bridge systems available in Australia, including InQuik, and compares a number of key performance factors.
A copy of this report is available at the NACOE web site by clicking this link.
Using data in the report, a Decision Supporting Tool was also developed, in order to help TMR determine the most appropriate bridge system considering site conditions.
Summary taken from the report:
Replacement of timber bridges typically occurs in-line. Traditional replacement bridge construction requires long bridge closure and a side track to facilitate construction. The cost of construction of the side track has been a concern due to the high cost often approaching the cost of replacement of the structure itself. Rapid construction methods have been identified as a viable option to avoid side track construction while minimising road closure time. Therefore, this report reviews the current market options for rapid construction of replacement bridges, which will allow replacement of timber bridges in a relatively short time.
Several pre-engineered bridge products which are currently available on Australian market have been identified and reviewed for their compliance with TMR bridge design criteria and specifications. In addition, this report proposes a three-step selection process with graphical initial screening, a matrix-based preliminary selection and detailed review for final selection.
