New Bridges for Canberra, and possibly for Seattle

Lake plan for monumental footbridge
by Vicki Collins
(City News)
quoting part of the article -

THE ACT Government will cede land at Lennox Gardens to the National Capital Authority, to facilitate building of an Immigration Bridge.
In an in-principle agreement between the ACT and Federal governments, gazetted for discussion at the end of July, the bridge will be a monument to the contributions of the more than 10 million migrants who have permanently settled in Australia since 1788. The bridge will stretch 400 metres from the National Museum grounds across the lake to Lennox Gardens.

The ACT government's handing over the land at the southern end of the bridge means one authority governs all the land involved, says Immigration Bridge Campaign Director, Andrew Baulch.

"Both Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and Minister for Planning, Simon Corbell have expressed support for the project," he said.

While the original plans for today's museum included a footbridge, the bridge will be built under a community project by an incorporated, not-for-profit body, with a board chaired by Lt-Gen Laurie O'Donnell AC (Retd).

While it is unusual that such a huge project is to be community-based, the Immigration Bridge Board considers it apt. "It's a gift to the people, from the people," said Mr Baulch.

The bridge was the vision of an Italian immigrant and long-time farmer at Berridale in the Cooma region, Gianni De Bortoli. He was inspired by the stories of immigrants working on the Snowy-Hydro (which claimed the lives of around 120 Italians). Gianni has spent a lot of time travelling and gaining support for the bridge from councils and government in Italy.

"The design team is ensuring that the Immigration Bridge will be one of the most significant constructions in Australia, a source of great national focus and pride with major benefits to Australian tourism," said Mr Baulch.

"The design as depicted on the website is conceptual only - it will go through extensive development over the next year.

"One of the most exciting aspects of this project was bringing together a truly unique team to come up with a conceptual design: An architect to start of with (Bligh Voller Nield), then an engineer (ARUP Australia), a composer (Ross Edwards) and a poet (Peter Skrzynecki). The result is already a uniquely Australian bridge that gently undulates like the Australian landscape, and tells the
stories of migration on its surfaces."

The proposed bridge will be 12 metres above the water. Pylons would have narrow profile and be spaced to allow for boating, in line with negotiations with the Canberra Yacht Club in early June.
Link to article - http://www.citynews.com.au/news/Article.asp?id=4851


We had a couple of threads on the Millau Viaduct a while ago on A2K. I'll go find a photo of the viaduct (which was not entirely loved by all) and post it.[/b]

edit - here's a photo

photo link - http://www.tacuroctr.com/images/Blog/Millau_Viaduct.jpg


Look to France for viaduct alternative

By EARL J. BELL and ARLENE BELL
GUEST COLUMNISTS
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

quoting part of the article -

Having just returned from France where we experienced the "Viaduc" over the Tarn River at Millau, we were struck by the similarities between the egregious traffic congestion problem that faced the French transportation planners and that facing Seattle viaduct planners. The French solved the problem by going over and around it. With comparable effort and creativity, and possibly lower cost, the same could be done here.

To experience Millau is to see it from afar, drive over the bridge and drive under it instead of spending an hour or more just to get past the bottleneck in order to get on the road to somewhere else. We had done this once, before the soaring (1,125 feet at its highest point) Viaduc was built. The sheer beauty of this stunning traffic solution is overwhelming and visitors come from everywhere to see it.

The cable-stayed bridge (nearly 8,070 feet in length) is an outstanding achievement in both architecture and engineering. It was designed by distinguished British architect Sir Norman Foster, whose design was chosen by competition. Foster used a combination of materials for the deck and its structural supports. The latter are elegant concrete tweezer-shaped piers topped by lightweight steel pylons; the cable-stayed deck is made of lightweight steel spans constructed by moving smaller portions into space. The spans between piers are 1,125 feet long; such spans should provide adequate space for vessels in Elliott Bay though they could be even longer. The creative process demanded a superb design coupled with highly imaginative engineering. The challenge in Seattle is remarkably similar:

Here, as at Millau, the problem quickly emerged as one that was nearly intractable; all alternatives being contemplated seemed to be severely flawed in one or more ways. The Viaduc at Millau solved the transportation problem and simultaneously created architectural history.

Link to article -
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/275919_viaduct30.html