New Farm RiverWalk Replacement, Brisbane, Queensland

A high profile loss of the Brisbane 2011 flood was the destruction of the New Farm Floating Walkway which linked the Brisbane CBD to the suburb of New Farm. Brisbane City Council identified the replacement of this river link as a key project in its reconstruction plan. Arup have been involved in the options study, concept planning preliminary and detailed design of a replacement structure designed to withstand future flood events while also limiting future maintenance requirements.

The design solution is unique in many aspects. While the bridge structure does not cross the Brisbane River, it runs parallel to the northern river bank for almost a kilometre. An opening span consisting of a swing bridge is also provided and is the subject of a separate and complementary paper. The following paper will outline some of the key design feat ures and solutions identified in providing this new bridge in the heart of Brisbane.