Brisbane’s Kurilpa Bridge opened on 4th October 2009. This 470m long pedestrian and bicycle bridge spans the Brisbane River and riverside expressway, linking South Brisbane with the CBD. The slender bridge deck has a main span of 120m and is supported by a complex system of masts, cables and flying struts inspired by the concept of tensegrity.

The unusual structural form led to a number of structural dynamics issues being encountered during design. These included aerodynamic stability of the bridge deck, lateral movements of the bridge deck under pedestrian crowds, and vortex shedding vibrations and buffeting-induced fatigue of the supporting masts and spars.

A number of vibration mitigation measures were implemented in the final design including installing tuned mass dampers beneath the deck and impact dampers on the supporting masts.

This paper will discuss the pedestrian and wind induced vibration issues encountered during design, the design approach and analysis methods used and the vibration mitigation solutions implemented.