Snaps mark Kalgan milestone

It is one of the most recognisable pieces of local road infrastructure and has a fascinating history.

As part of its 90th anniversary celebrations, Main Roads WA has released some intriguing archives images of its work in the Great Southern.

Among the historic gems are these shots of the Upper Kalgan Bridge.

In the 1800s, what is now Wheeldon Road, was the main route heading east out of Albany, crossing the Kalgan River.

The bridge was re-built in 1912 and came under Main Roads’ care when it came to fruition in 1926.

A major flood took the bridge down in January 1939 and swept it downstream to rest against the lower Kalgan Bridge, so a new bridge was constructed by Main Roads and opened in 1940 by Mr H W Hassell (then the Hassell Highway).

The re-alignment to what is now the South Coast Highway to Jerramungup occurred in 1966 and took the pressure off the original bridge on Wheeldon Road.

Refurbishment works were undertaken on the Upper Kalgan Bridge earlier this year, which included the replacement of a couple of the old timber piers.

The very first bridge built in the Lower Kalgan area was constructed in 1904-05, providing access from Albany to the east and cutting the journey time in half, although no on-site evidence of this bridge can now be found.

The original trusses for the original bridge were designed by C.Y O’Connor, prominently known for his work with the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme and tragic death following.

The existing bridge travelled on today was first built in 1958 and is the longest timber road bridge outside the metropolitan area.