Mandurah Traffic Bridge

Author

City of Mandurah

Place Number

09083

Location

Pinjarra Rd Mandurah

Location Details

Unallocated Crown Land. Connection between Pinjarra Road and Old Coast Road.

Local Government

Mandurah

Region

Peel

Construction Date

Constructed from 1953, Constructed from 1952

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
RHP - Does not warrant assessment Current 23 Feb 2007

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Municipal Inventory Adopted 27 May 2014 Category 2

Statement of Significance

• Is a local landmark. • One of a sequence of bridges that has been constructed on the same site. • The community lobbied hard to have the original bridge constructed, and then t have it replaced when it became derelict, so the new bridge symbolised a significant community achievement. • For the development of Mandurah’s transportation and communication system, being the previous site of its ferry service and its first traffic bridge. • The lower platform of the bridge attracts many fishing enthusiasts and amateur anglers making it a significant recreational place.

Physical Description

The bridge is 184 metres long and 6.7 metres wide, and the concrete piles used in construction are each 18.3 metres long weigh 10.1 tonnes. Two laneways (one for north and one for southbound traffic) exist for traffic and a footway two metres wide for pedestrians and cyclists. Steps lead down from the footway to give access to the fishing platforms. The bridge was constructed with a vertical curve so clearance from the waterline to the span girders allowed for marine traffic.

History

This bridge replaced the previous (and first) bridge which was built across the neck of the Peel Inlet in 1894. Planning for a replacement bridge had commenced soon after the end of World War Two by the State Government under the then Premier Sir Ross McLarty. The new bridge would have to be capable of handling the increased traffic flows expected after the improvement of Mandurah Road. McLarty, whose electorate encompassed Mandurah, made transport infrastructure one of his government’s main priorities. The design of the new structure focused on avoiding the possibility of toredo worm damage that had sealed its predecessor’s fate. To this end, the piles were made entirely from reinforced concrete. As an economic measure, the remainder of the bridge structure was to be of jarrah, with the exception of the two navigation spans which utilised rolled steel joints to support the timber decking above. The concrete component of the construction amounted to twenty one ‘bays’ with twenty five feet between each pile. Demountable Bailey Bridge sections were used during construction. This was a new technique for the time developed from transportable bridges used in World War Two. This method enabled the construction of the gantry over the pile casting yard, and the outriggers which carried the pile frames out over the water t be mounted in their final positions. A five tonne winch, also mounted on the outriggers, was used to drive the piles into the estuary bed. The wooden components of the bridge amounted to four thousand and eight hundred linear feet of round logs and three hundred and ten tonnes of sawn jarrah. Once construction was completed, the old bridge was demolished with, gelignite being used to destroy any remaining piles. Construction began in 1950, and lasted until early 1953. In January 1953, Sir Ross McLarty along with senior officers of the Main Roads Department met with the Mandurah Roads Board to discuss the construction of the fishing stages below the new bridge. The $2,300 cost of the stages would necessitate the raising of a loan, so a public meeting of ratepayers was held on February 5 in the Hotham Valley Hall. After receiving a favourable reception at the meeting, the matter of the loan was put to a referendum on February 7. After receiving approval of the ratepayers at the referendum the stages were constructed, and continue to be a well used feature of the bridge. With the defeat of Sir Ross McLarty’s Liberal government in the election of February 14 1953, the honour of officially opening the bridge fell to the new Minister for Works, Mr John Tonkin on April 17 1953.

Integrity/Authenticity

Authenticity : High

Condition

Poor

Associations

Name Type Year From Year To
Public Works Department Architect - -

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
Ronald Richards "Mandurah and the Murray: a sequel to the history of the old Murray District of Western Australia" Shire of Murray and City of Mandurah 1993
Papers Mandurah Historical Society

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
9868 Old Mandurah Traffic Bridge, Mandurah Heritage Study {Other} 2011

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use Transport\Communications Road: Bridge
Original Use Transport\Communications Road: Bridge

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Other METAL Other Metal
Other TIMBER Other Timber
Other CONCRETE Other Concrete

Historic Themes

General Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS Road transport
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS River & sea transport

Creation Date

18 Jul 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

10 Jan 2020

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.