Third Avenue Bridge opens to traffic in Western Australia

After just eight months of construction, the Third Avenue Bridge in Mount Lawley, Western Australia opened to the public over the weekend.

BMD Constructions attended the opening event on Saturday which saw approximately 50 members of the local community take the time to walk over the newly constructed bridge before it opened to traffic.

The project replaced the existing 106 year old timber bridge with a new concrete bridge that has a single span of approximately 22 metres and includes a second lane.

The successful construction of the bridge will improve safety and efficiency on the local road and rail network which carries about 10,000 cars every weekday.

The deconstruction of the existing bridge and construction of the new structure needed to occur while maintaining pedestrian traffic along the existing Principal Shared Path underpass and without impact on the busy Midland rail line. Two critical shutdowns in October 2015 and January 2016 were committed to in August of 2015 and both milestones were achieved without impact to the rail operations.

Transport Minister Dean Nalder congratulated Main Roads Western Australia and BMD for completing the project on time, within budget and with minimal disruption.

“Demolishing and rebuilding this bridge in such a short time span presented a significant challenge, especially when you consider the complexity of the project and the constraints of building in a densely populated residential area over a live rail line,” Mr Nalder said.

Congratulations to the project team who completed the project recordable injury free and with a number of positive messages from the local community.