Bakewell Underpass | $30m

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crawf · #16 Post by **crawf** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:24 am

It will be

rhino · #17 Post by **rhino** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:30 am

Heard Pat Conlon on the news this morning on my way to work, answering (very well, I might add) comments about community groups' dissatisfaction with the new underpass. He said that there has been constant consultation with community groups about the design, and constant tweaking of the design to meet the changes which were deemed to be constructive. However, he said, you can't satisfy everyone, and some people's ideas were not adressed. Also, he pointed out, the opposition jumped on every improvement as an increase in costs without mentioning an improvement in the design.

Good on you Pat, at last we have a transport minister who is not afraid to spend money on improving transport infrastructure.

Edgar · #18 Post by **Edgar** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:41 am

Bad news to road users from North Terrace to Port Road, that stretch of road will be very busy and jam everywhere, as all users from Currie St will be diverted to Port Road unless they decided to turn left and take Sir Donald Bradman Rd.

East Terrace double lane project has not even completed and they have closed the bridge. Not a very wise move. The traffics in East Terrace is double now since the bridge is closed.

rhino · #19 Post by **rhino** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:46 am

Yes, I was surprised to hear that the trip into the City along Henley Beach Road was expected to take an extra 10 minutes during the construction phase. That's a lot of extra time for such a short deviation.

Edgar · #20 Post by **Edgar** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:35 am

10 mins on off peak hours. It will be more than 10 mins during peak hours.

Hint:
Start your journey early, clear smooth traffic flows at 7-7.20am. As the intersection around Port Rd - South Rd - Henley Beach Rd - Sir Donald Bradman Rd will be very busy from 8-9am. And will be busier now since the construction of the bridge has started and more traffics are diverted along those routes.

rhino · #21 Post by **rhino** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:31 pm

From today's 'Tiser:

Traffic flows smoothly

EXPECTED traffic chaos with the closure of Bakewell Bridge on Henley Beach Rd was a non-event in the western suburbs this morning.

While peak-hour traffic was heavy along Sir Donald Bradman Drv, to Marion Rd, it was flowing smoothly, with no accidents or breakdowns reported.

Traffic management officers visited key spots during peak hour and will meet to see where improvements can be made.

"Our reports are that it went reasonably well," said project director Tim Warren.

"Obviously there were a few little things, but generally it went very well.

"Sir Donald Bradman Drive probably carried more than its share of the load, but over the next few days we expect traffic to find the right balance," he said.

Transport SA has advised commuters they should add an extra 10 minutes to their travel time.

City-bound motorists can travel Henley Beach Rd to East Tce and Port Rd or Henley Beach Rd to James Congdon Drv and Sir Donald Bradman Drv.

Henley Beach Rd will be closed from West Tce to the western side of the bridge until late 2007 for the $41m underpass construction.

Edgar · #22 Post by **Edgar** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:17 pm

Bakewell Bridge is now closed for road users from Henley Beach Road.

Take a good final look at this bridge, as it won't be here in a few more weeks when they start cutting the bridge and lifting it away with cranes. Probably one of the last of such bridge in existance, more than 80 years old.

All traffic coming from Henley Beach Rd will be diverted to under the bridge, where they made a new traffic lights intersection. From Henley Beach Road, you are allowed to turn either left to Port Rd via East Terrace, or right to Sir Donald Bradman Drive via James Cogdon Drive.

From Port Rd to East Terrace at the intersection of the bridge, you can either go straight, heading to James Cogdon Drive, cut through Buninngs Warehouse Mile End, and head straight to intersect with South Road.

Or

Turn right and go under the bridge and cut back to Henley Beach Rd after the bridge.

Port Road intersection lights now has 2 right-turn lanes leaving only 2 lanes heading straight to Port Road instead of 3 before.

It is still a hassle, why?

There is a set of traffic lights every 100metres or less.

Coming down from Henley Beach to city, there is the light at South Road intersection, drive a 150 metres, there is another lights intersection for the resedential at Mile End, then 100m, there is the new Bakewell Intersection lights. Turn left to Port Road lights in 150m, or turn right and meet another set of lights just less than 50 meters at James Cogdon Drive pass the bridge.

I think they have to come up with more solutions and elimate as much lights as possible.

Edgar · #23 Post by **Edgar** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 4:42 pm

Updates:

The demolition of the bridge is going in schedule. Work has already begun on the surface of the bridge.

They are slowly dismantling the joints before cutting the bridge and lifting off with cranes.

The old road surface of the bridge has already started being demolished.

Very fast considering today is the first day work has been done on the bridge.

#24 Post by AG » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:30 pm

Delays created by this project were basically inevitable. There's almost no room for a temporary rail crossing to be built, and building a level crossing would not have been a good idea. In Sydney there are lots of intersections that are less than 100m apart, some almost located on top of the next, but many of them still flow smoothly, as long as the signals have been coordinated properly.

rogue · #25 Post by **rogue** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:56 am

Great photo's Ed. Considering some were taken whilst driving.

Hows that for multi tasking....

Edgar · #26 Post by **Edgar** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:13 am

opps

well, I was only doing 25kmph holding my camera phone

Anyway, here is the plan of the demolition of the bridge.

Two techniques are being used:

- Saw cutting the section above the ARTC railway line and lifting this out by crane

- Crushing and pulverising of other sections using equipment such as a 45 tonne excavator with mechanical jaws and two, 25 tonne excavators with impact hammer attachments.

Barriers will be set up to protect pedestrian, road and rail traffic from all demolition works.

It is expected that demolition will be completed by the end of December.

Huh, 2 months to demolish a bridge.

Algernon · #27 Post by **Algernon** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:17 am

Hopefully the crane slips and knocks over those town houses on Henley Beach road. How fugly are those things, I mean, what's with the aqua coloured wooden gates aaaarrrghhh!

Edgar · #28 Post by **Edgar** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:24 am

Apparently, most of the surrounding buildings such the college, Telstra offices, townhouses and Mile End shops will be affected by the impact from the demolition and construction. The worst problem is vibration, DTEI had sent engineer officers to inspect every houses, every rooms, every shops, every part of the surrounding buildings prior to the starting of the project, recorded every information in papers, verbal recording, as well as visual (yes with cam coder) recording, to keep track with the possible cracks as a result of the construction.

Edgar · #29 Post by **Edgar** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:23 pm

Everything is going according to plan. With the first section of the bridge now demolished, and down.

#30 Post by **Will** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:13 pm

Thanks for keeping us up to date with the project Edgar!

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