Batman Bridge

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.Design featuresBuilt 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 206m long, suspended from a 91m steel A-frame tower. The deck is 10.3m 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 18m into the clay. The bridge deck is constructed of steel which is lighter than concrete, but required much more welding on site during construction.