Coppabella Ck Suspension Bridge Construction
The Hume and Hovell Track is a multi-tenured trail owned by Crown Lands NSW and maintained under contract by Snowy Valleys Council since 2015. 12P Consulting has been subcontracted by Snowy Valleys Council to manage the maintenance and capital works upgrades to the track over the last 7 years.
The track comprises over 426km of single track, firetrail and paved/shared trail over various tenures (crown land, forestry, national park, freehold land). There are more than 100 small footbridges and 3 significant cable bridge structures over major rivers. The last remaining crossing on the track to receive a bridge was over the Coppabella Creek on an easement on freehold land between Jingellic and Tumbarumba.
12P Consulting managed the project from start to finish for Snowy Valleys Council and Crown Lands including;
Initial consultation with the landholder and preparation of a site survey and concept plan,
Engagement of a cadastral surveyor to re-establish the easement over the creek to guide the bridge design,
Engagement of a structural engineer (Neil Wright Consulting Engineers) under Council’s procurement policy,
Completion of planning permit investigations including engagement of environmental consultants,
Preparation of bridge construction tender documentation, assessment of tenders and recommendation of the preferred tenderer,
Superintendency services for the construction contract including review of payment claims, construction surveillance, review of ITPs, OHS, Environmental management plans,
Defects inspections and issue of contract notices, final inspections,
Final as-constructed aerial survey and 3D model
After consultation with the landholder, Crown Lands and Neil Wright (Structural Engineer), a 70m suspension bridge was designed for the site. The Coppabella Creek catchment upstream of the proposed bridge location is significant - over 250 square kilometres. Resulting from the required flood immunity level and overall span, a suspension bridge was deemed the most cost-effective option. It was also deemed appropriate given the other three suspension bridges already in service on the track over the Tumut and Goobarragandra Rivers further north.
The bridge was constructed by Cablespan over a 6 month construction period in very wet and cold conditions between May and November 2022. Below is a construction timelapse sequence of the construction and photo gallery.
Coppabella Ck Bridge Construction Timelapse Sequence
