ABSTRACT
The E.J. Whitten Bridge is composed of twin multi-span concrete viaducts that carry the M80 freeway over the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne, Australia. Overall length is around 518m long. The bridge was completed in 1995 and it now carries 160,000 vehicles per day. In 2017 widening of the structure commenced through the addition of a new deck structure between the existing viaducts. Unusually for a bridge, provision for widening had been made in the original foundation and pier design, although increased highway loads and seismic requirements required an innovative design approach. Through this case study, the paper comments on how well this bridge has stood up to the comparatively recent future. From this, and knowledge from similar works on other bridges, lessons are then drawn for today’s designers and those procuring bridges to enable bridges to better withstand the test of time and to lower the cost of future works.
