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9 Austroads Bridge Conference, Sydney, New South Wales 2014

STEEL TRUSS ROAD BRIDGES ON REGIONAL RAIL LINK

Matt Proitsis, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Australia
Bruce Gibbens, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Australia
ABSTRACT
As part of the Footscray to Deer Park section of the Regional Rail Link project in Melbourne, major
road bridge replacements were constructed at Nicholson Street and Albert Street. Both bridges span
over the widened rail corridor.

The available structural depth was severely restricted at both bridge sites. Unique through- bridge
solutions were provided consisting of a bowstring truss at Nicholson Street and Warren truss at
Albert Street. Constructability in and around a rail environment with restricted access was also a key
constraint.

This paper focuses on the unique design features of the two bridges. In particular those features
which address: space limitation, impact of construction over an operating rail corridor, and aesthetic
expectations given the prominent locations of the two bridges.

INTRODUCTION
The Regional Rail Link Project involved construction of new dedicated regional tracks from
Southern Cross Station (in central Melbourne) through to West Werribee Junction. The aim of the
project was to improve reliability and efficiency of both metropolitan and regional rail services.

The Footscray to Deer Park section of the project included major works over a 7.5km stretch of
existing rail corridor (refer Figure 1). The corridor was widened over this stretch to separate
metropolitan and regional tracks. The works included major road bridge replacements at Nicholson
Street and Albert Street in Footscray. This section was delivered by an Alliance consisting of: The
Regional Rail Link Authority, Metro Trains Melbourne, V/Line, Thiess, Balfour Beatty, Parsons
Brinckerhoff and Sinclair Knight Merz.

Figure 1: Site Location

Through Footscray the site is a dense urban area. Four existing rail lines run in a cutting below
street level. These include: two broad gauge lines carrying metropolitan/regional services managed
by Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) and V/Line respectively and two dual gauge freight lines carry
services managed by the Australian Railway Track Corporation (ARTC). Construction access was
restrictive and dictated by the operational requirements of all three Accredited Rail Organisations
(AROs).

The original road bridges at Nicholson Street and Albert Street both spanned over the rail cutting

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approximately 150m from each other. Both are close to the Footscray commercial district. A key
project requirement was that one of the two bridges was to remain open at all times.

NICHOLSON STREET BRIDGE

Constraints
The original bridge was built circa 1930 and was one of few in Melbourne with commercial
buildings built on the deck (refer Figure 2). It consisted of two-spans supported on mass concrete
abutments and a central pier. The effective structural depth was 660mm.

Figure 2: Original Nicholson Street Bridge

Vertical clearance was below standard; 4.8m over the broad gauge tracks and 6.5m over the dual
gauge tracks. The projects Scope and Technical Requirements (S&TR) required both vertical and
horizontal clearances to be maintained or improved where possible.

The rail corridor was to be widened to the south which required the original bridge superstructure,
central pier and southern abutment to be replaced.

There is a strong preference for clear span bridges over railways to reduce the rail collision risk [1].
In this case there was minimal scope to neither lower the tracks (due to a flyover structure 150m
east of Nicholson Street) nor raise Nicholson Street (due the proximity with the Footscray
commercial zone). These constraints essentially ruled out a deck-type bridge for this location.

New bridge
The new bridge consists of a bowstring through-truss bridge which spans 33.5m over the rail
corridor to the original northern abutment (refer Figure 3). The bridge is 19.5m wide between truss
centrelines and has a skew of 19 degrees.

Steel trusses are 6.5m deep, each consisting of a 600mm square box top chord, 600 mm deep I-
section bottom chord and 406CHS vertical and diagonal ‘web members’. The bottom chord
transitions to a box section near abutments to increase rotational restraint to the top chord. Each

truss was delivered to site as a ‘complete unit’ with complete penetration butt welds at all nodes
undertaken in the fabrication workshop.

Steel cross-girders (500WC) are orientated on skew and support the 200mm thick concrete deck.
The effective structural depth is 715mm.

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Figure 3: Nicholson Street Bridge Elevation

The bridge carries three traffic lanes, bike lanes, a parking lane and a footpath between the trusses
(refer Figure 4). There is also a cantilevered footpath outside the truss on the west side. Trusses
are protected against vehicle impact by Medium Performance Level barriers. The containment level
was adopted following a site specific risk assessment undertaken in conjunction with the AROs and
other relevant stakeholders [1].

19.5m

Figure 4: Nicholson Street Bridge Cross-Section

Key Design Features

North abutment

There was a significant benefit in retaining and reusing the original northern abutment. This
minimised the impact on the adjacent commercial zone and allowed Irving Street (a street which
runs perpendicular to the abutment) to remain open during the works.

There is little guidance on the reuse of abutments in Australian or Victorian Standards. An initial
assessment on the suitability of the abutment for reuse was based on UK Railway Approved Code
of Practice GC/RC5510 [2]. Appendix C of this Code provides a structured, qualitative approach to
assessing the suitability of reuse. In this case, the Code required the following items to be met:

• an existing substructure is in satisfactory condition and shows no significant signs of distress or

undue settlement
• there are no particular geotechnical considerations which give cause for concern
• appropriate structural and/or geotechnical analysis should be carried out

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• account should be taken of any more or less favorable distribution of loading as a result of the
new construction.

There were also concerns regarding the durability and residual life of the original abutment, and its
ability to resist collision loading and still remain serviceable. To address these concerns and the
requirements of GC/RC5510, detailed inspections and testing were undertaken consisting of:

• visual inspection and face mapping

• ground penetrating radar (GPR) to identify any discontinuities (cold joints, cracks, voids etc.)

and any foreign bodies in the wall

• horizontal concrete coring to validate wall thickness and provide samples for testing
• laboratory concrete testing.

The outputs from the above were then fed into a detailed three-dimensional finite element analysis
of the abutment undertaken by SKM’s Advanced Analysis and Test group which indicated the
abutment could sustain collision loads stated in AS 5100 and remain serviceable [1]. A detailed
description of this analysis is beyond the scope of this paper.

To provide the abutment shelf levels required for the new bridge and distribute concentrated
bearing loads, the top of the original abutment was saw-cut down and precast sill beams were
provided.

Bowstring truss

There was a desire for the bridge to be aesthetically significant given its prominent location, with
the architectural preference being an arch-type structure. Various options were considered,
including a tied arch bridge with vertical steel hangers. The bowstring truss however, was found to
best meet the site and project constraints.

Figure 5: Trial Induction Bending

Top Chord Design

The early design determined a 610mm x 38mm circular hollow section for the top chord.
Investigations identified a Melbourne-based company capable of undertaking the bending (to the
required 25.7 m radius) via magnetic-induction bending. This process uses inductors to locally heat
steel in a narrow heat band allowing the steel to be bent to the required shape (refer Figure 5).
Trials were undertaken to confirm suitability, however the cost of bending and of subsequently
transporting the ‘bent’ top chord to the main fabrication yard in Tasmania and back to site in
Melbourne however, ruled out this option.

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The eventual top chord design utilised a 600mm square fabricated box. Preliminary sizing
assumed an Euler buckling length equal to the length of the bowstring. Plate sizes were
subsequently refined through rational buckling analysis of both permanent and construction cases.

The inferred buckling length was 9.5m in the permanent case. A staging analysis found the majority
of the buckling restraint came through rotational restraint from the end two cross- girders, together
with the torsional stiffness of the top chord. The construction sequence therefore installed the two
end cross-girders first, prior to the internal cross-girders.

Node Design

Simple analysis methods were not suitable for the truss nodes, where CHS members intersected a
chord, as these connections are flexible and generally outside the ‘limits of validity’ of semi-
empirical equations. A three-dimensional non-linear finite element model was used to consider the
out-of-plane plate bending and geometric stress concentrations at the nodes. This used to verify
plate and weld sizes as well as optimisation of stiffener locations (see Figure 6).

Figure 6: Truss Nodes

Every second cross-girder joined the bottom chord at a node. Trusses were fabricated with a series
of short skewed stubs on which cross-girders were spliced. This detail allowed the cross- girders to
be slewed into place without clashing and positioned on the correct skew.

Figure 7: Cross-Girder Stubs

Articulation

Elastomeric bearings support the four corners of the bridge, at the ends of each truss. Intermediate
pot bearings were also provided underneath the end cross-girder to limit deflection. This was to
minimise the uncomfortable ‘bump’ between bridge and the approach, and to protect the expansion
joint from associated damage.

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The bridge essentially ‘floats’ on its bearings and temperature expansion and contraction occurs
equally at both abutments. The bridge therefore has fewer bearings than a comparatively-sized
deck-type bridge. As a result, the bridge bearings would experience a horizontal shear under
M1600 braking loads greater than the desired expansion joint gap [3]. A detail was introduced to
allow the fender wall to retain the bridge under this load case. This involved steel buffer plates cast
into the deck end and the fender wall at localised locations to withstand the braking load without
damage to the concrete elements or expansion joints.

Anti-climb device

The Safety-in-Design process identified a risk of people attempting to climb onto the top chord. An
anti-climb device was therefore provided to deter such attempts and mitigate this risk. Given the
bridge’s location and aesthetic requirements, it was also important that the device match the
aesthetics and not increase the risk (i.e. barbed wire, anti-climb paint). It was therefore agreed that
a series of short vertical plates would be provided to the top chord (refer Figure 8). Plates are
spaced close enough to restrict a foothold, yet short enough so not to be grasped easily. This
measure has been used on another similar bridge in Melbourne. Whilst not completely ‘fool-proof’,
the Authors believe it provides a balance between safety and aesthetics.

Figure 8: Anti-Climb Device

Construction staging

The staging sequence was based on the original bridge being removed and abutments for the new
bridge prepared during short term track occupations in late 2013. Construction of the new bridge
superstructure took place during a major occupation in early-January 2014, including the following
works:

• Trusses were transported to site on their side then tilted vertical with uniquely-designed lifting
lugs attached to the top chord.
• Trusses were then lifted into place with a single crane and temporarily braced. Trusses were
tilted slightly outwards to ensure they finished (near) vertical under all dead and super-
imposed dead load, and to provide a gap for positioning cross-girders (refer Figure 9).
• The two end cross-girders were installed first and connection bolts were fully tensioned. As
discussed earlier, this provided sufficient restraint required for arch stability, temporary
restraints were then released.
• Internal cross-girders were then installed and the deck was constructed (Transfloor panels).
Remaining works: barriers, roadway paving, feature lighting were undertaken subsequently
after the occupation.

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Figure 9: Truss Installation

ALBERT STREET BRIDGE

Constraints
The original Albert Street bridge was built circa 1930. It consisted of a two-span bridge over the rail
corridor.

The rail corridor was widened on both sides to allow for two additional broad gauge lines, meaning
that the entire bridge required replacement.

The bridge faced many similar constraints on gauge clearance, structural depth and construction
access as discussed for the Nicholson Street bridge.

New bridge
The new bridge consists of a through-truss bridge clear-spanning 28.6m over the rail corridor. New
abutments were constructed behind the original abutments (refer Figure 10). The bridge has a 13
degree skew.

The steel trusses are 3.5 m deep and fabricated from 500W C members. The cross-girders span
16.0m between truss centrelines and consist of 300mm deep fabricated steel I-girders. The deck is
a jack-arch design which is 130mm thick over the cross-girders, resulting in an effective structural
depth of only 430mm.

Figure 10: Albert Street Bridge Elevation

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Similar to Nicholson Street bridge, the ends of each truss are supported on elastomeric bearings
with intermediate pot bearings midway under the end cross-girders. Similar buffer plates were also
provided to withstand breaking loads.

The bridge carries two traffic lanes, bike lanes and footpaths between the trusses (refer Figure 11).
There are also cantilevered services/maintenance galleries outside the truss on both sides. Similar
to Nicholson Street bridge, trusses are protected against vehicular impact by Medium Performance
Level barriers. Anti-throw screens are also provided on top of the barriers, inside the trusses.

16m

Figure 11: Albert Street Bridge Cross-Section

Key design features

Warren truss

The Alliance assessed various through-truss options for the bridge in consultation with the relevant
stakeholders. The adopted option is a variation of a Warren truss with additional vertical web
members midway between the inverted triangles. These vertical members were added to provide
additional support to the deck and reduce bending moments in the bottom chord.

Truss orientation

It was found that orientating truss members with their weak axis horizontally provided the optimum
solution (refer Figure 12). This orientation simplifies node connections and improves out-of-plane
restraint to the top chord, whilst still proving adequate structural capacity.

Unlike the Nicholson Street bridge, it was found that there was less reliance on the end cross-
girders for bucking restraint. In other words, the top chord stability is more dependent on
intermediate u-frame action similar to that described in AS 5100.6 [4]. This was due to the lower
torsional stiffness in the top chord (at Albert Street), and the stiffer ‘web’ members which provide
more intermediate restraint. For this reason, the cross girder installation sequence was opposite to
that at Nicholson Street with intermediate cross-girders installed first, and end cross-girders last.

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Figure 12: Truss Orientation

Jack-arch deck design

The severe limitation on structural depth and strong preference for a permanent formwork system
over the railway influenced the deck design. The depth available however ruled out a traditional
partial precast deck system.

The solution was a jack-arch deck design using glass reinforced plastic (GRP) arches as formwork
between the bottom flanges of the cross-girders (refer Figure 13). A deck slab was then cast above
with a depth of only 130mm above the cross-girder top flange. Vertical steel plates are welded to
the top of the bottom flange to restrain the arch thrust during deck casting.

The ability of the GRP arches to support the weight of the wet concrete and construction loads was
verified through a physical load test. This involved replicating the design support conditions and
placing 1m of wet concrete above.

130mm

GPR Formwork
Cross Girder

Figure 13: GRP Formwork (left) & Jack-Arch Design (right)

Stubs

Every second cross-girder joins to the bottom chord at a truss node. The analysis found large
hogging moments in the cross-girders at these locations. To provide structural capacity tapered
steel stubs (welded to the trusses) were provided which moved the bolted splices away from the
high moment regions. This detail also simplified cross-girder installation.

End cross-girders

End cross-girders consist of a 700mm wide by 530mm deep steel trough in-filled with reinforced
concrete and integral with the deck. Sizing was governed by deflection, and large bending and
torsional effects induced by the trusses.

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With end cross-girders to be installed last, there were concerns that construction tolerances would
complicate installation of a bolted connection. The solution was to provide end cross- girders in two
pieces with a gap between (refer Figure 14). The reinforced concrete infill was used to create
structural continuity across this interface.

Figure 14: End Cross-Girders – Intermediate Bearing & Gap for Concrete Infill ‘Stitch’

FABRICATION
Steel fabrication for both bridges was undertaken in Haywards’ fabrication yard in Launceston,
Tasmania.

Figure 15: Fabrication (left) & Trial Erection (right)

Erection of the bridges was undertaken during restricted rail occupations meaning that fabrication
accuracy was critical. To mitigate the risk of error on site, the Contractor required the fabricator to
undertake a trial erection at the fabrication yard prior to transportation.

The construction methodology first positioned the trusses over the rail corridor. Cross-girders were
then be ‘stick built’ at height over the rail corridor as previously discussed.

To ensure best possible accuracy in the cross-girders, the fabricators approach was to position the
trusses in the trial erection first, then fabricate the cross-girders to suit this position.

Completed bridges
The Albert Street bridge was erected during the January 2013 occupation and opened to traffic in
June 2013. The Nicholson Street bridge was erected a year later during the January 2014
occupation and opened to traffic in May 2014.

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Figure 16: Completed Bridges –Nicholson St Bridge (left) & Albert St Bridge (right)

REFERENCES
1. AS 5100.1: 2004 – Australian Standard – Bridge Design – Part 1: Scope and general principles
2. GC/RC5510 – Recommendations for the Design of Bridges (Appendix C)
3. AS 5100.2: 2004 – Australian Standard – Bridge Design – Part 2: Design loads
4. AS 5100.6: 2004 – Australian Standard – Bridge Design – Part 6: Steel and composite
construction

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Matt Proitsis is a Senior Structural Engineer with Parsons Brinckerhoff and also serves as Team
Manager, Transport Structures – Victoria. He has 12 years’ experience on a diverse range of road
and rail bridges, and many other transport related structures. He also has significant international
experience including work in both North America and the United Kingdom. Matt spent over 2 years’
working on the Regional Rail Link – Footscray to Deer Park Alliance project. During this time he
was the Design Package Lead on the Nicholson Street bridge, Ashley Street bridge and the ARTC
flyover structure.

Bruce Gibbens has almost 20 years’ experience in all aspects of the bridge life-cycle: from
concept studies and independent verification, to the load-rating, strengthening, and material
condition assessments of existing bridges, as well as providing technical support during the
construction phase. He specialises in segmental box girders, including balanced cantilever design.
He has also supervised the design of steel box girders, arches, and integral bridges, as well as
complex bridge widenings and railway structures. His international experience includes high-level
earthquake design in North America, and sophisticated cast-in-place light-rail structures in Abu-
Dhabi.

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