61: West Gate Bridge

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61: West Gate Bridge

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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.

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