30-metre multi-span pedestrian bridge over Hinchinbrook Creek completes the seamless network of...
- Client
- Villawood Properties
- Project Partners
- LD Total (Principal Contractor)
- State
- Victoria
Significantly reduced timelines with zero compromise.
Having being let down by another contractor on the same project, LD Total engaged FORGE to expedite the design and delivery a significant new community bridge and boardwalk at Alamora, a premium residential community west of Melbourne.
Faced with significant pressures, we instantly began collaborating with Villawood Properties and LD Total, developing an elegant 36-metre pedestrian bridge and boardwalk solution based on our proprietary BALMORALTM and WATERSIDETM access systems. Guided by our proven delivery process, the FORGE Method, we were also able to drive significantly program effciencies without compromising design integrity or the project budget.
After being appointed in October 2024, the new bridge opened just seven months later in mid-2025 - a fantastic outcome for Villawood Properties, LD Total and of course the Alamora community itself.
Our involvement.
FORGE was originally contacted by the principal contractor, LD Total, after concerns had been raised about another supplier's ability to meet the promised capacity, schedule and budget milestones at Alamora. With time slipping, LD Total provided us with a target budget and asked us to identify a solution that would work within it.
We initially submitted line drawings and then subsequently developed a more detailed concept package and project timeline which was quickly approved. Design detailing and pre-construction work then began immediately.
While a traditional process for a bridge and boardwalk of this nature would typically require 10-11 months, the entire project was completed on brief and within budget in less than seven months in another real-world example of the effectiveness of the FORGE Methodology.
Design Challenge
The overriding design imperative was to develop a structurally appropriate AS2156-compliant access solution that could effectively meet the client’s tight cost and timeline expectations, without compromising on aesthetics. An elegantly curving modified version of our proprietary BALMORALTM and WATERSIDETM access systems was the ideal way to deliver precisely that, allowing us to directly leverage past design and installation insights to drive the desired project efficiencies.
Construction Challenge
Time pressures remained high as we moved into the all-important construction phase. Through careful site planning and the strategic pre-assembly of key structural elements in controlled off-site conditions - including the painting of more than 100 metres of balustrade - we were able to maximise quality outcomes while significantly reducing the time required for on-site installation at Alamora. With ground works completed well in advance, a seamless bridge lift was used to position the main bridge span at Alamora in less than a day with the remaining connections and finishing work completed quickly by hand.
Innovation
Designed to be as elegant and beautiful as it is functional and cost-effective, the gently curving form of the steel girder bridge was far from straight forward to achieve in the real world. Despite being faced with significant time pressures, FORGE was meticulous in the design detailing and pre-construction stages to ensure the chosen concept could be realised to an outstanding level of quality with minimum disruption or delays.
Features
- 1 x 36-metre BALMORALTM steel girder pedestrian bridge (3 x 12-metre spans)
- 1 x 40-metre WATERSIDETM boardwalk with balustrade
- 175+ metres of stand alone balustrades with perforated feature panels
Materials
- Painted steel
- Fibre-Reinforced polymer (FRP) joists
- Modwood decking
- Stainless steel handrails
- Powder coated steel bollards and perforated panles
- Stand alone painted balustrades
- Concrete piers
Safety & Risk Considerations
Working across a water-filled culvert always brings heightened risk and demanded rigorous safety methodologies. Traffic and pedestrian management was another major consideration at Alamora with the project site only accessible via busy and tight local roads. Careful co-ordination was required to ensure the safety of work crews, contractors and the local community particularly in managing the necessary shutting down of roads for the all-important bridge lift.
