Janevale Bridge - Engineering Heritage Marker #5 Laanecoorie, Victoria, Australia
By Team MavEtJu on 15-Oct-15. Waypoint GA7611

Janevale Bridge - Engineering Heritage Marker #5

A LONG HISTORY SERVING THE GOLD FIELDS

There was a timber bridge on the site, opened in 1872. This bridge was washed away in 1909 when widespread flooding breached the Laanecoorie Weir approximately 500 metres upstream of the bridge. The Shire Engineer prepared a design for a replacement timber bridge; however he also consulted with John Monash about the cost of a reinforced concrete bridge.

Monash was anxious to obtain orders for concrete bridges following the floods and reported to potential customers that no damage had occurred to the 40 Monash-built concrete bridges subject to the floods.

Local people had to make a 10 km detour to get around the bridge site until the new bridge was opened for traffic on 9 August 1911.

The construction of such a grand structure at this location probably reflects the great wealth in the area created by gold.

JANEVALE BRIDGE: A CONCRETE PIONEER

Bridging the Loddon River, this is the longest concrete bridge designed by John (later Sir John) Monash’s Reinforced Concrete & Monier Pipe Construction Company. The Council had called tenders and had received offers for timber and reinforced concrete designs. It accepted the Monash offer for a reinforced concrete bridge on 12 March 1910; work commenced in October and the bridge was tested satisfactorily in July 1911.

The bridge consists of 10 spans of 12.8 metres (42 feet) each and the width between the handrails is 5.49 metres (18 feet). The deck consists of four “T” shaped beams supporting a concrete slab deck.

In the 1930s the Country Roads Board strengthened the bridge and in 1986 VicRoads gave it a major facelift. The bridge gives an appearance of slenderness and lightness not always associated with concrete structures.

Note: The board with the description and the marker were not found on Google maps, but it should be next to the bridge on the grass field. If you find it, please consider measuring the right location and make a copy of the marker.

When logging this virtual, please add a photo of yourself or your GPSr at the plaque.

For more information, please see this page at the Heritage Register at the Engineers Australia website: https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/heritage/janevale-bridge-1911