McGees Bridge is a

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

that carries the

Tasman Highway The Tasman Highway (or A3) is a highway in Tasmania, Australia. Like the Midland Highway (Tasmania), Midland Highway, it connects the major cities of Hobart and Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston – however it takes a different route, via the no ...

across Pitt Water, near Sorell in the south-east of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Australia. The bridge and adjacent Sorell Causeway provide vital links between

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

and two of Tasmania's principal tourist attractions - Port Arthur on the

Tasman Peninsula The Tasman Peninsula, officially Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania, Australia, approximately by the Arthur Highway, south-east of Hobart. The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsu ...

and the picturesque East Coast via the Tasman Highway.

History

The

Tasmanian Government The Tasmanian Government is the executive branch of the Australian state of Tasmania. The leader of the party or coalition with the Confidence and supply, confidence of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, House of Assembly, the lower house of the ...

decided in the mid 19th century that if a crossing at Pitt Water could be made, it would considerably reduce the time to reach Sorell. It was decided to build a

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

for two-thirds of the length of Pitt Water and use a bridge to complete the rest of the crossing. A single-lane timber bridge was the first construction, but continuing maintenance on a major highway bridge became a significant problem. As a result, Australia's first post-tensioned beam and slab bridge was completed in 1957.CIAconference
John Holland 2003 A feature of the bridge was that the voids for the tendons were created using inflated rubber tubes which were withdrawn after the concrete had set. The bridge was given a 50-year life span. In 2001 it became apparent that the ingress of chlorides had caused the bridge to deteriorate seriously. The State Government awarded John Holland a design/build contract to replace the ageing bridge. The new bridge (designed by GHD) is thought to be the first match-cast precast-segmental channel-type road bridge outside

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The $20 million McGees Bridge was the largest single infrastructure project funded by the State Government for more than 15 years. The new bridge was named as a tribute to Dr Rodney William McGee, who died after a long battle with cancer on 1 February 2002, aged 47. At the time of his death he was a senior engineer with the Department of Infrastructure, Energy & Resources and was recognised interstate and internationally for his expertise in bridge engineering. The project was marked by extensive community involvement and particular attention to safeguarding the local environment, as the bridge is in an internationally recognised wetlands site and designated heritage area. The

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the Government of Tasmania, executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the Tasmanian House of Assem ...

, Jim Bacon was present at the official opening ceremony which was also attended by the Minister for Infrastructure, Jim Cox, the Mayor of Sorell, Carmel Torenius, and members of Rod McGee's family.

References

External links

{{Hobart landmarks Bridges in Hobart Bridges completed in 2002 Road bridges in Tasmania 2002 establishments in Australia