First opened in 1960, the West Chevron Island bridge is a uniquely designed bridge located on Thomas Drive in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, providing a key link between Bundall Road and the Gold Coast Highway. The City of Gold Coast identified the need to determine required remedial works to extend the service life of the bridge.
SMEC completed a Level 3 Inspection followed by a remaining life and options analysis that compared the remedial approaches available. Without intervention, the bridge pier headstocks were expected to have reduced capacity within the next 5 to 10 years.
Due to chloride induced corrosion identified in the pier headstocks, an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system was agreed as the best long-term option for controlling corrosion.
‘The design of the ICCP system included the latest technology in discrete anodes that incorporate venting tubes, which eliminated the risk of grout acidification in the tidal zone, and permitted a coating on headstocks for aesthetic purposes,’ said Luke Menefy, Area Manager – Gold Coast.
‘This technology is not yet widely used in the industry, and resulted in a significantly improved outcome including extending the life and structural integrity of the bridge, substantially reducing the resources and materials required to maintain the bridge and improving its aesthetics,‘ said Matt Duncanson, Project Manager.
In receiving this award, the project is now in the running for the national award, which will be announced by the Concrete Institute of Australia on 7 September.
