Janevale Bridge, Loddon River, Laanecoorie, Victoria
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.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage Marker (EHM) |
| Award Date | 9 August 2011 |
| Heritage Significance | Janevale Bridge is the largest reinforced girder bridge designed and built by John Monash and the Reinforced Concrete & Monier Pipe Construction Co. and the largest bridge of its kind built in Victoria, and possibly Australia prior to the First World War. Although representative of early T-beam construction, this bridge also exhibits the rare use of splayed trestle piers in reinforced concrete, reminiscent of the traditional timber trestle bridges, and is quite a depature from Monash’s earlier designs in Victorian bridges. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Available here. |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Available here. |
References:
Janevale Bridge - Technical Drawings (PDF 2.44 MB)
