An abseiling team has provided a high-flying solution to help the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade work toward its goal of safer, more-reliable travel between Mernda and Doreen.
The trio helped complete repairs under the historic bluestone bridge over Plenty River, which is being repurposed into a dedicated path for pedestrians and cyclists as part of the upgrade.
The abseiling crew spent a week repairing the bridge’s piers and crossheads with support from 3 project team members.
The project team chose the abseiling crew as the safest and most efficient option given the work site’s challenging location over the river gully. Completing the vital works this way prevented the need to build a complex scaffold system across the bridge’s four spans, in turn saving time, avoiding overhead powerlines and the need to work within the Plenty River.
Melbourne-based API Rope Access Services provided the abseiling team.
These works are the first major repairs to take place under the bluestone bridge since 1975, and will ensure that it is able to operate as a shared walking and cycling path for years to come. The repurposed bridge will link with other shared walking and cycling paths to provide better connections for active transport in the area.
The upgrade has built a new 4 lane bridge for vehicles. The new bridge opened with 1 lane in each direction in December, with all lanes set to open later this year.
The bridge works complement the upgrade’s construction of extra lanes in both directions between Plenty and Yan Yean roads.
The project is also building sections of shared path and upgrading key intersections between Mernda and Doreen.
The upgrade will deliver safer, more-reliable travel along Bridge Inn Road while improving access to Mernda’s train station and town centre.
It will also reduce congestion and bring down travel times while boosting safety and connecting communities across the growing outer northern suburbs.
More information about the upgrade is available on our Bridge Inn Road Upgrade page.