Port Phillip Bay Bridge proposals

Last updated

The Port Phillip Bay Bridge proposals have been suggested as a means of linking Queenscliff and Sorrento via a bridge and therefore eliminating the need of a ferry as the only way of transport across the waterway. [1]

Such a bridge would need to span a 3.1-kilometre (1.9 mi) stretch of water known as "The Rip" between Queenscliff and Portsea, Victoria in order to connect the Bellarine Highway and the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. If it were built as a suspension bridge, this would probably give the proposed bridge the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world. [2]

In a preliminary proposal put forward by David Broadbent [ who? ] in March 1998, 10 possible routes were evaluated. Only one [ which? ] of these routes was considered to be viable. Based on this preferred crossing, the bridge would have a landfall to landfall distance of 5.7 km (3.5 mi), with a main span of 2.5 km (1.5 mi). The air draft of the bridge was calculated at 70 metres.

In March 2023 the Mayor of Mornington Peninsula Steve Holland supported an idea for the bridge. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip</span> Bay in Victoria, Australia

Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mornington Peninsula</span> Peninsula and region of Victoria, Australia

The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion from the mainland in the area between Pearcedale and an area north of Frankston. The area was originally home to the Mayone-bulluk and Boonwurrung-Balluk clans, and formed part of the Boonwurrung nation's territory prior to European settlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorrento, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Sorrento is a coastal suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 103 km (64 mi) south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Sorrento recorded a population of 2,013 at the 2021 census. Sorrento is known for its appealing weather, limestone buildings, and its world-class day-spas, which take advantage of the local water pressure to provide an unparalelled scrub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Searoad Ferries</span> Ferry company of Australia

Searoad Ferries is an Australian company that operates a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry service between the heads of Port Phillip, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenscliff, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe. At the 2016 census, Queenscliff had a population of 1,315.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepean Highway</span> Highway in Victoria, Australia

Nepean Highway is a major highway in Victoria, running south from St Kilda Junction in inner-southern Melbourne to Portsea, tracing close to the eastern shore of Port Phillip for the majority of its length. It is the primary road route from central Melbourne through Melbourne's southern suburbs. This name covers a few consecutive roads and is not widely known to most drivers except for its central section, as the entire allocation is still best known by the names of its constituent parts: St Kilda Road, Brighton Road and Nepean Highway proper, and Point Nepean Road. This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completion, as well to avoid confusion between declarations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rip</span> Waterway entrance in Victoria, Australia

"The Rip", also known as "The Heads", is the narrow waterway entrance connecting the Bass Strait to the bay of Port Phillip in southern Victoria, Australia, and is the only route of maritime transport into Port Phillip and thus seaport access into Melbourne and Geelong, Victoria's two largest cities. Because of large tidal flows through the relatively narrow channel from the bay to the ocean, and a high rocky seabed, The Rip is a dangerous stretch of water and has claimed numerous ships and many lives. Geographically, it is the roughly triangular area of water between the land points of Point Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula, Shortlands Bluff and Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Peninsula, with these three forming The Heads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mornington Peninsula Freeway</span> Freeway in south-eastern Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Mornington Peninsula Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that provides a link from south-eastern suburban Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula. Whilst the entire freeway from Dingley Village to Rosebud is declared by VicRoads as the Mornington Peninsula Freeway, the section between EastLink in Carrum Downs and Moorooduc Highway in Moorooduc is locally and commonly known as Peninsula Link. The entire freeway corridor bears the designation M11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Victoria, Australia

The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula, separates Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait. The peninsula itself was originally occupied by Indigenous Australian clans of the Wadawurrung nation, prior to European settlement in the early 19th century. Early European settlements were initially centred on wheat and grain agriculture, before the area became a popular tourist destination with most visitors arriving by paddle steamer on Port Phillip in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Highway</span>

The Bellarine Highway is a main arterial highway that runs east from Geelong in Victoria along the Bellarine Peninsula to Queenscliff. The highway also provides the main route to Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, localities along the southern coast of the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Around the Bay in a Day</span>

Around the Bay in a Day is a non-competitive fully supported recreational cycling fundraising event organised by Bicycle Network in Victoria, Australia. Cyclists register to ride a course which is 210 km (130 mi) either clockwise or anti-clockwise around Port Phillip Bay, starting and ending in Melbourne, though other distances, both shorter and longer, are available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sullivan Bay, Victoria</span> Early penal settlement in Australia

Sullivan Bay lies 60 km (37 mi) due south of Melbourne on Port Phillip, one kilometre (0.6 mi) east of Sorrento, Victoria. It was established as a short-lived convict settlement in 1803 by Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins, who named the bay after the Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, John Sullivan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park</span> Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is a marine protected area located in the vicinity of the bay of Port Phillip, between the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, in Victoria, Australia. The 3,580-hectare (8,800-acre) marine national park comprises six separate sites located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-west of Melbourne and stretches along 40 kilometres (25 mi) of coastline of Victoria.

A fixed link or fixed crossing is a permanent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tunnel combination is commonly used for major fixed links.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Channel Fort</span> Island in southern Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia

South Channel Fort, also known as South Channel Island, is a 0.7 ha artificial island in southern Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east of the town of Sorrento. It was part of a network of fortifications protecting the narrow entrance to Port Phillip.

MV <i>Queenscliff</i> (1992) Double ended roll-on/roll-off vehicle ferry

The MV Queenscliff is a double ended roll-on/roll-off vehicle ferry owned by Peninsula Searoad Transport of Victoria, Australia. It has operated between the heads of Port Phillip Bay between the towns of Queenscliff and Sorrento since December 1993. The ferry replaced the earlier Peninsula Princess used on the route, and can carry approximately 80 vehicles and 700 passengers. During the 2011 off season the ferry underwent a $2 Million refit.

MV <i>Sorrento</i> (2001)

The MV Sorrento is a double-ended roll-on/roll-off vehicle ferry owned by Peninsula Searoad Transport of Victoria, Australia. It has operated between the heads of Port Phillip Bay between the towns of Queenscliff and Sorrento since 2000. It is the sister ship of Queenscliff, and on entering service enabled a doubling in the service frequency across the bay. The ferry can carry approximately 80 vehicles and 700 passengers. This ship is commonly referred to as “HMAS Mornpen”

<i>Peninsula Princess</i> (Australia)

The Peninsula Princess is a single ended roll-on/roll-off vehicle ferry owned by Peninsula Searoad Transport of Victoria, Australia. It operated between the heads of Port Phillip Bay between the towns of Queenscliff and Sorrento from 1987 to 1993. It was replaced by the MV Queenscliff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Port Phillip</span> Bay in Victoria, Australia

Port Phillip, sometimes referred to as Port Phillip Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia, 1,930 km2 in area, with a coastline length of 264 km (164 mi). The bay is extremely shallow for its size, but mostly navigable. The deepest portion is only 24 m (80 ft), and half the region is shallower than 8 m. Its volume is around 25 km3. The city of Melbourne is located at its northern end, near the mouth of the Yarra River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Port Ferries</span>

Western Port Ferries is a company providing passenger ferry services in Western Port in Victoria, Australia.

References

  1. MURPHY, NOEL (27 November 2009). "Bridge too far ... maybe not". Geelong Advertiser . Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  2. Transport Problem: Negotiating Port Phillip Bay Adapted from a first year civil engineering report – this report was an exercise in brainstorming alternatives, RMIT Engineering Faculty
  3. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/mornington-peninsula-mayor-proposes-bridge-between-sorrento-and-queenscliff/news-story/7763cc3b04e9658586d0afcf8b88fc8f