Batman Bridge
The Batman Bridge crosses the Tamar River in northern Tasmania, about 30 km north of Launceston. It was opened on 18 May 1968 by the Premier of Tasmania, Eric Reece.[1] When it was built it was one of the first cable-stayed truss bridges in the world.[1] It provides access between the north east and north west of Tasmania. It was named after John Batman, a Tasmanian pioneer and the founder of the city of Melbourne.[1]
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The bridge is held up by cables connected to a 315 ft (96 m) high A frame tower on the west bank.[1] This tower is not straight, but leans 100 ft (30 m) out over the river.[1] The bridge is 1,417 ft (432 m) in length.[1] The main span over the river is 706 ft (215 m) and with a span on the western shore of 180 ft (55 m).[1] The eastern side is approached by four continuous viaduct spans. The bridge is 94 ft (29 m) above the high water level.[1] The steel deck has room for two lanes of traffic and a walk way for people on both sides.
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The bridge is built at the narrowest point on the Tamar River, at Whirlpool Reach. However, the east bank was found to be soft clay which would not support the bridge. The A frame tower on the west bank is built into the bedrock 70 ft (21 m) below the surface and supported by steel cables concreted into tunnels in the bedrock. The tower supports the whole weight of the river span of the bridge.[1]
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- Photos of Spidertech checking the cables Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine