William Buckley Bridge

Barwon Heads, Australia

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William Buckley Bridge

Barwon Heads, Australia

Firm

Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design

Type

Transport + Infrastructure › Bridge

YEAR

2011

Barwon Heads is a picturesque coastal town located at the mouth of the Barwon River on the Bellarine Peninsula. The original 300 metre long timber road bridge was built in 1927 and much loved by the local community. It had been adapted and repaired so many times that by 2006 it was rapidly reaching the end of its operational life. The original bridge was beyond repair and so began the difficult process of designing its replacement. The local community mounted a campaign to save the Bridge but when no clear outcome could be reached the State Government appointed an independent “Barwon Heads Advisory Committee” to advise on its future. The final report from January 2007 recommended that the existing bridge be widened and upgraded subject to heritage approval. Subsequently heritage approval could not be obtained and so the second recommendation was adopted being a two bridge solution, a reconstructed road bridge and a new contemporary pedestrian & cycling bridge located downstream of the road bridge.

The original 1927 timber beam bridge was constructed from turpentine gum and included all structural components – piles, crossheads, pier bracing & whalers, stringers, corbels, cross frames, the deck, railings and barriers. The long term impacts of sand scouring and teredo worm infestation to the piles had led to much of the bridge being replaced or encased in concrete. Steel girders were added to strengthen the bridge along with a concrete road deck laid over the original timber planks.

The reconstructed road bridge is a very innovative composite steel/concrete/timber structure and a rare example of the extensive use of structural timbers in a major estuarine road bridge with a 100 year design life. Timber components include the piles (above water), crossheads, pier bracing, whalers, outer stringers and corbels.

The new pedestrian/cycling bridge is clearly differentiated as a contemporary concrete/timber/stainless steel structure which is fully clad in timber with a boat hull-like cross section. The design intent was to construct a pair of parallel causeway bridges as companion structures, parallel for their full length with the same underside clearance for boating. The pedestrian bridge has the same rhythm of piers as the road bridge but with longer spans (18m to match every second road bridge pier alignment of 9m). The width of the pedestrian bridge at 4.5 metres was determined by the need to use it as a temporary one-way road bridge during the reconstruction phase of the existing timber bridge. In the finished bridge this width provides a generous circulation space for pedestrians, cyclists and fishing.

As a causeway bridge it sits very low relative to the tidal water level (with a 2 metre tidal range) and the shifting sands on both banks. The bridge has two very distinct spatial experiences, one from the top deck crossing over the estuary with distant coastal views, and the other from underneath either on the beach or in the water where the structure silhouettes against the sky and the surrounding landscape.

The bridge timber cladding includes bridge decking planks & battens, handrails, raised fishing platform, fascia and underside raking battens. The bridge expresses the beautiful tactile and aesthetic qualities of timber in an extraordinary coastal setting. The underside of the bridge has a complex warping geometry where the timber battens rake and interlock to create visual interest and shadowing detail.

In addition, a new entry plaza has been created to integrate the bridges with the Barwon Heads township and the Barwon River foreshore. A large timber decked landing becomes the point of orientation prior to crossing the estuary or arriving at the edge of town