NSW RTA to host international bridge conference

An RTA spokesperson said the conference, to be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour, will allow for the greatest minds in bridge building to share and develop ideas.

The program runs for six days from 31 October and includes 126 speeches, workshops and social events. It also ends with a technical tour on Saturday 5 November. An emphasis this year on encouraging young engineers to take part in the conference by putting their ideas on paper for the ‘Young Authors Award’ has been well received.

The RTA has the responsibility for 5,094 bridges across NSW including major drains, as well as 22 tunnels and nine vehicular ferries, making them the ideal organisation to host such an event. The conference will look at better ways to deliver safe, sustainable and effective bridges, which are crucial links in the transport network.

Key speakers at the conference from Germany, the USA, the UK, Japan and Australia, will discuss issues about state-of-the-art cable-stayed bridges, sustainable highway bridges, estimating loads and rating bridges, and the latest technology in bridge monitoring.

For information about the Austroads Bridge Conference go to www.abc2011.com.au, or telephone: 02 9254 5000. Registrations and sponsorship for the conference close on 31 August, 2011.