West Gate Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids West Gate Bridge |
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View of the bridge with a River Cruise Boat passing under
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| Coordinates | 37°49′46″S 144°53′53″E / 37.82944°S 144.89806°E |
| Carries | 10 lanes (5 inbound, 5 outbound) of M1 (Queensland) for vehicles only |
| Crosses | Yarra River |
| Locale | Melbourne, Australia |
| Official name | West Gate Bridge |
| Maintained by | VicRoads |
| ID number | WGB |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed box girder |
| Total length | 2,582.6 metres (8,473 ft) |
| Width | Maximum of 37.3 metres (122 ft) |
| Longest span | 336 metres (1,102 ft) |
| Clearance below | 58 metres (190 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 15 November 1978 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 180,000 |
The West Gate Bridge is a very important bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It crosses the Yarra River. This bridge is one of the longest in Australia. It measures about 2,582.6 m (8,473 ft) long, including the parts leading up to it.
Building the bridge started on 22 April 1968. It was officially opened on 15 November 1978. The project cost around AU$202 million. Sadly, the bridge was also the site of a major accident during its construction in October 1970.
About the Bridge
The West Gate Bridge is a special type of bridge. It uses both a box girder design and cable-stayed supports. This means it has strong box-shaped sections and cables holding up the main part.
The bridge deck is 58 m (190 ft) above the water. This high clearance allows large ships to pass underneath safely. The tall supporting towers, called pylons, are 102 m (335 ft) high. They help hold up the longest section, which spans 336 m (1,102 ft) across the river.
The bridge is 37.3 m (122 ft) wide. It has eight lanes for traffic. Every day, about 160,000 vehicles drive across the West Gate Bridge.
Construction Accident
During the building of the West Gate Bridge, a serious accident happened. In May 1970, engineers noticed that some large steel sections, called girders, did not fit correctly. They were off by about 4.5 in (114 mm).
To fix this, engineers tried to bend the girders into place. They put ten heavy concrete blocks on them. Each block weighed about 8 tons. By September 1970, this had caused part of a girder to buckle, meaning it bent in an unwanted way.
On 15 October, workers began to remove the bolts holding the buckled girders. The idea was to let the steel straighten out. Then, new steel supports could be added. However, at 11:50 AM, the damaged section suddenly collapsed.
This huge section, weighing 2,000 tons, fell 45 m (148 ft) to the ground. Workers who were on and under the bridge were caught in the collapse. Thirty-five men lost their lives, and eighteen others were injured.
Images for kids
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A single column of the Westgate Bridge during construction.
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Bridge Span after collapse.
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The West Gate Bridge as seen from a nearby walkway.
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The West Gate Bridge at sunset, with Docklands Stadium in the foreground.
