Peel River Underbridge Rehabilitation + Load Testing

Cracking at the cross girder connections placed a rare nineteenth century railway bridge under immediate scrutiny. The Peel River Underbridge remains an operational part of the Main Northern railway and an important example of John Whitton’s wrought iron bridge engineering. We combined field testing, advanced structural analysis, heritage assessment and rehabilitation design to determine its current capacity and develop repairs that protect both railway operations and the significance of the original structure.

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Structural Investigation

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• Completed site inspections and a Level 4 structural assessment of the wrought iron bridge
• Assessed cracking within the forged angles at the cross girder connections
• Undertook controlled load testing to measure the bridge’s response under railway loading
• Reviewed the condition and behaviour of the lattice girders, cross girders, arches, bracing and associated connections
• Prepared technical reporting to establish the condition, capacity and rehabilitation requirements of the structure

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Analysis and Load Assessment

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• Developed a detailed finite element model in ANSYS to assess global and local structural behaviour
• Used the assessment results to define the extent and urgency of the required repairs

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Heritage and Environmental Approvals

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• Prepared a Statement of Heritage Impact addressing the significance of the 1882 Whitton bridge
• Considered the retention of original wrought iron fabric when developing the rehabilitation response

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Rehabilitation Design

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• Developed repairs for the cracked forged angles and cross girder connection zones
• Prepared rehabilitation drawings, calculations and supporting design reports
• Developed a practical repair strategy informed by inspection findings, testing and finite element analysis

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