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Bolte Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The Bolte Bridge from theDocklands | |
| Coordinates | 37°49′10.12″S144°55′55.65″E / 37.8194778°S 144.9321250°E /-37.8194778; 144.9321250 |
| Carries | 8 lanes (4 inbound, 4 outbound) |
| Crosses | Yarra River |
| Locale | Melbourne, Australia |
| Maintained by | Transurban |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever,box girder bridge |
| Total length | 5,000 metres |
| Width | 15.35 metres |
| Longest span | 173 metres |
| Clearance below | Approx 25 metres |
| History | |
| Opened | 16 August 1999 (1999-08-16) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | Approx 50,000 |
| Toll | $3.42 (one way) |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Bolte Bridge | |
TheBolte Bridge is a large twincantileverroad bridge inMelbourne,Victoria, Australia. The Bolte Bridge carries a total of eight lanes of traffic – four lanes northbound and four lanes southbound. While officially only 490 metres in length, the actual structure appears much longer as it forms part of a five kilometre elevated roadway betweenFlemington Road and theWest Gate Freeway.
It spans theYarra River andVictoria Harbour in theDocklands precinct to the west of theMelbourne CBD. It forms part of theCityLink system of toll roads that connects theTullamarine Freeway from the northern suburbs with theWest Gate Freeway and theDomain andBurnley tunnels to theMonash Freeway and the south eastern suburbs.[1] It is named after Victoria's longest-servingPremier,Henry Bolte.
The bridge was designed by architectsDenton Corker Marshall and was built byBaulderstone Hornibrook, construction taking three years from 1996 to 1999.[2] It was named byPremier of VictoriaJeff Kennett afterHenry Bolte because of its linking theWest Gate,Monash andTullamarine freeways, projects commissioned or completed by the Bolte government.[3]
It is the largest balanced cantilever cast in situ box girder bridge in Australia. The superstructure was built as two independent bridges of variable depth, prestressed concrete box girders, separated by a 1.15 metre clear gap between the structures.
The bridge features two 140 metre high silver (grey concrete) towers, situated on either side of the roadway at the midpoint of the bridge's span. These two towers are an aesthetic addition by the architects, and are not joined to the main body of the bridge.[2] These towers are hollow, and feature access ladders to a small roof top hatch. Until they were locked and surrounded by water, these towers were a popular target forurban explorers.[citation needed]
The bridge has two main spans of 173 metres, two side spans of 72 metres with approach viaducts 430m to the south 4,080 metres to the north. It supports eight road lanes. Access is prohibited to cyclists and pedestrians.
Other bridges in Australia of similar construction are theGateway Bridge, Brisbane andMooney Mooney Bridge nearGosford.[citation needed]
Media related toBolte Bridge at Wikimedia Commons