61: West Gate Bridge

Planned for nearly a century, when the time came to build a permanent link across the Lower Yarra River, a relatively new style of bridge, the box-girder, was chosen. Using new computer technology assisting the engineers to design a bridge that was too complex to calculate by hand, and using a unique lifting strategy promised time and cost savings. Ultimately though when the pieces didn't fit together in the air, their attempts to make them fit, didn't work. We dive into what went wrong on Australia's largest ever industrial disaster.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Report:

• Victorian Royal Commission Report (PDF)

Milford Haven Incident:

• Cleddau Bridge disaster

General Information:

• Kentledge
• West Gate Tunnel
• Slide rule
• Box girder bridge
• Cleddau Bridge
• Widening the West Gate Freeway
• Melbourne October 15 Weather
• The West Gate Bridge Memorial
• Robbo Bennett’s Tribute
• How the West Gate Bridge collapse changed Melbourne
• 1970 West Gate Bridge Disaster
• West Gate Bridge Image Gallery
• The West Gate Bridge Collapse
• West Gate Bridge Under Construction, 1969

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Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Steve Branam.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.