Meander River Bridge
This bridge is a good example of the “jack arch” type of construction for superstructures which is rare in Tasmania and one of the earliest uses of concrete for construction for superstructure.
Meander River Bridge is a five span bridge with a steel girder and concrete “jack arch” superstructure constructed in 1910. Masonry piers and abutments support the structure and these were built in 1877 for a previous timber bridge. The bridge was widened in 1950. The current bridge is the fourth to be built at this site. All the previous bridges had timber superstructures.
The first bridge, which was built by convicts in 1831, was washed away by a flood in 1844. It was replaced shortly after by a more substantial one, built by convicts from the Probation Station on the western side of the river. This bridge was constructed using timber beams supported by ‘pigsty’ log piers. This bridge reached the end of its life and was in turn replaced in 1877. The new bridge was named the Victoria Bridge, as it was officially opened on 2nd June 1877 on Queen Victoria's birthday. The stone piers of that bridge still service the present one although they have been widened and raised. The bridge's wooden decking, which had quickly fallen into bad repair, was replaced by a new super structure made of concrete and steel girders, in October 1910. The tender for this work was let to Finlayson Bros.
In 1933, six memorial lamps were erected on each corner of the bridge by families of prominent citizens.
In 1950 the bridge was widened but the shortage of structural steel delayed the work. This delay was due to post-war shortage of materials – the production of steel generally was only about half the 1939 output, while the demand for it had increased.
By the 1970’s there was increasing concerns about the capacity of the bridge to carry modern vehicle loads. Which subsequently led to the Deloraine bypass being constructed in the 1980’s
