West Gate Bridge: Novel Methods, Deadly Oversight

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress" by George Santayana - This book is referenced for its famous quote about those who cannot remember the past being condemned to repeat it, highlighting the importance of learning from historical mistakes.

Videos & Documentaries

• Causality Episode 47: Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse - This previous episode of the podcast is mentioned for its detailed explanation of how bridge spans are commonly referenced, providing context for the West Gate Bridge discussion.

People Mentioned

• Jon Sjog (Host of Causality) - The host of the podcast, who analyzes events and their causes.
• Mr. Jack Hinshaw (FF&P Resident Engineer in Melbourne) - An engineer representing Freeman Fox & Partners who expressed concern about the kentledge suggestion and noted obvious overstress in his diary.
• Mr. David Ward (FF&P Section Engineer) - An engineer representing Freeman Fox & Partners who issued a formal direction to unbolt plates and informed Mr. Hinshaw and Mr. Crossley about construction issues.
• Mr. Peter Crossley (FF&P Site Engineer) - A site engineer for Freeman Fox & Partners who conducted calculations raising serious concerns about cantilever stresses during erection.
• Mr. Hardenberg (WSC Representative) - A representative from World Services and Construction whom Mr. Hinshaw contacted for another opinion before the collapse.
• Henry Bolte (Premier of Victoria) - The Premier of Victoria at the time who called for a royal commission to investigate the incident.
• Sir Gilbert Roberts (FF&P Lead Designer Engineer) - The initial lead designer engineer for the West Gate Bridge, who later delegated day-to-day design work and had retired by 1970.
• Dr. William Brown (FF&P Engineer) - An engineer to whom Sir Gilbert Roberts delegated day-to-day design work, and who in turn delegated to his team, stating it was not his policy to check individual work.
• Dr. Oleg Kerensky (FF&P Structural Engineer) - Another experienced structural engineer at Freeman Fox & Partners involved in the design, who indicated joint control of the project from July 1970.
• Mr. Cecil Wilson (Lower Yarra Crossing Authority Representative) - Represented the Lower Yarra Crossing Authority and demanded an independent design check of the West Gate Bridge.

Organizations & Institutions

• Victorian Public Works Department - Originally proposed a tunnel crossing for the Yarra River in 1888.
• Lower Yarra Crossing Authority - A private company with limited liability, formed to finance, construct, and operate the West Gate Bridge, recovering costs through tolls.
• Freeman Fox and Partners (FF&P) - A consulting company based in the United Kingdom responsible for the design of the West Gate Bridge and also involved in the Cleddau Bridge design.
• World Services and Construction Proprietary Limited (WSC) - The Australian subsidiary of Works for Utrecht from the Netherlands, awarded the steelworks component of the West Gate Bridge construction.
• John Holland Company - Took over the assembly portion of the West Gate Bridge contract from WSC.
• BHP - Supplied steel for the West Gate Bridge after John Holland Company took over assembly.
• Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners - Appointed as joint consulting engineers with Freeman Fox & Partners for the Cleddau Bridge project.
• G. Maunsell and Partners - A London firm of consulting engineers tasked with conducting an independent design check on the West Gate Bridge.
• Monash University's Clayton Campus - Hosts a memorial consisting of six fragments of the collapsed bridge section, serving as a reminder of engineering design errors.

Other Resources

• West Gate Bridge Memorial Park - A park that opened at Spotswood in 2004, commemorating the incident.
• Cleddau Bridge (Milford Haven or Aberdaugleddau) - Another box and girder bridge designed by Freeman Fox & Partners that collapsed during construction, resulting in fatalities due to a design error.
• I-35 Bridge Collapse - Mentioned as an example of a bridge failure due to design issues related to transport alongside construction.
• BP Texas City Incident - Referenced as another example where site sheds and office buildings were located in a blast zone, similar to the problematic placement of sheds under the West Gate Bridge.