Old Public Works (Old PWD) Truss Bridges
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The first timber truss bridges are now known as Old PWD
truss bridges. They were built from 1860-1882. The design was based on
truss designs from England. The characteristic of these bridges is the
use of large, single timbers and the double thickness top chord. While
effective, the large timbers were problematic during maintenance as the
replacement of any timber ember required the bridge to be supported from
below and was a lot of work.
Statistics
Number built: 147
Number remaining: 2
Driving over videos.
| Bridge Name |
Date Built |
# of Spans |
Location |
Waterway Name |
Status |
To be preserved? |
| Clarence Town |
1880 |
2 |
Clarence Town |
Williams River |
Not rebuilt |
Yes |
| Monkerai |
1877 |
3 |
Monkerai |
Karurah River |
Rebuilt |
Yes |
This bridge is located on Limeburners Road in
Clarence Town, about 34km north east of Maitland. It is a two span bridge
and crosses the Williams River. It was built in 1880. As of early 2014
the bridge is supported by Bailey trusses. This bridge is going to be
preserved and is awaiting restoration. It would be very nice if the
bridge was not painted white like most of the restored bridges are.
View of the two spans.
Side view of the truss showing the double thickness top chord.
View of the deck planking.
View of the truss showing the iron piers.
View of the truss showing the single thick timbers
for the end and top chords.
Monkerai Bridge is located on Monkerai Road about 7km
west of Bucketts Way and about 95km from Maitland via Dungog and Clarence
Town. It is a three span bridge built in 1877 and crosses the Karuah
River. This is the oldest surviving timber truss bridge in NSW. The bridge
is currently closed to traffic but is accessible by foot. This bridge is
going to be preserved and is awaiting restoration. Update February 2021:
This bridge has been completely restored and rebuilt and is open to
traffic again.
View of the whole bridge.
View of the truss showing the double top chord and single large timbers.
View of the deck planking.
View of the first truss with temporary supports.
View of the deck and trusses. The temporary supports
on the first truss are visible in this view.
View of the underside of the deck.
Driving view of the only remaining Old PWD truss
bridge open to traffic.