Carries Batman Highway Design Cable-stayed Longest span 206 metres (676 ft) Opened 18 May 1968 Clearance below 29 m Bridge type Cable-stayed bridge | Crosses Tamar River Width 10.3 metres (34 ft) Construction started 1966 Height 91 m Total length 442 m | |
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Locale Sidmouth, Tasmania, Australia Address Batman Hwy, Sidmouth TAS 7270, Australia Similar Tamar Valley - Tasmania, Seahorse World, Platypus House, Cataract Gorge, Bradys Lookout State Res | ||
Batman bridge tamar river tasmania
The Batman Bridge is a modern bridge spanning kanamaluka/Tamar River in the north of the Australian state of Tasmania. The bridge is on the Batman Highway connecting the West Tamar Highway (state route A7) to the East Tamar Highway (state route A8). The eastern end of the bridge is located at Whirlpool Reach, George Town and the western end is about halfway between Kayena and Deviot, Tasmania. The bridge overlooks the Deviot Sailing Club and is named after John Batman, Launceston businessman and co-founder of Melbourne.
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Batman bridge
Design features
Built between 1966 and 1968, it was the first cable-stayed bridge in Australia and among the first such bridges in the world. The main span is 206 metres (676 ft) long, suspended from a 91-metre-high (299 ft) steel A-frame tower. The deck is 10.3 metres (34 ft) wide. The tower is on the west bank of the Tamar river, on a solid dolerite rock base which carries 78% of the weight of the main span. The length of the bridge is 432 metres between abutments. The east bank is soft clay not capable of supporting a bridge. A causeway carries the highway across this softer base, supported by four piers built on piles driven up to 18 metres (59 ft) into the clay. The bridge deck is constructed of steel which is lighter than concrete, but required much more welding on site during construction.