Wartime concrete girder stops cars from crashing into hole

Antipodean Andy · Mar 25, 2009

Would like to know what the girder was built for.

Cars saved from monster Ipswich pothole | National News | News.com.au

AN underground concrete girder built by American troops during World War II is all that stopped cars from plunging into a monster pothole in the main street of Ipswich, a local councillor says.
The hole measuring 5m deep and 5m wide appeared without warning in the middle of the main street today.

A 100m exclusion zone has been set up around the hole due to the dangers posed by a nearby gas pipeline, a spokesman for the Ipswich City Council said.

"In the next two hours a special concrete mix is being pumped into the void to stabilise the area and the gas main," he said.

"The concrete must cure before excavation work can resume."

The spokesman said work to repair a stormwater drain would continue into the early hours of tomorrow.

"This will be followed by repairs to the road surface with the aim of having the road open sometime tomorrow morning."

Council workers did not realise how big the hole beneath the road surface was until they went to inspect a one square metre opening that appeared mid-morning.

The intersection of Brisbane and East streets was closed immediately.

Ipswich councillor and historian Paul Tully said an underground concrete girder built by the American army during World War II had prevented cars from disappearing into the monster pothole.

"Fifty-five years later, that girder prevented the entire intersection from collapsing," Mr Tully said.

"It could have been a total disaster."

Mayor Paul Pisasale said the hole was caused by a burst water pipe that had been carrying soil to the Bremer River for as long as a few months.

"About a month ago we lost pressure to water in the hospital in the CBD," Mr Pisasale said.

"Council spent the last month trying to find leaks and couldn't find any. It was driving them mad.

"All this time it had been developing a massive cavern."

Mr Pisasale said the next car to come along could have run into trouble.

"I get chills when I think what could have happened. At that time of morning school buses go past."

Mr Tully said earlier reports blaming the collapse on an old coal mine were unfounded.

"Coal mining started in Ipswich in 1843, and there has never been any mining in the main street of the city," he said.
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John · Mar 25, 2009

They were very lucky that the gas pipe never busted or they really would have had a problem

David Layne · Mar 25, 2009

Antipodean Andy said: ↑

Would like to know what the girder was built for.

Concrete girder installed by the US military in WW2 to protect underground services
Click to expand...

Antipodean Andy · Mar 26, 2009

Ah, but of course. Thanks DL.

51highland · Mar 26, 2009

Couldn't understand why I hadn't heard or seen anything of this until I started reading it, and realised Ipswich Australia not Ipswich Suffolk UK.

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