SAVE THE DATE: THE 13th AUSTRALIAN SMALL BRIDGES CONFERENCE, Adelaide Convention Centre, Australia Tuesday 28 July 2026 - Wednesday 29 July 2026

12th Australian Small Bridges Conference and Exhibition HAS NOW CONCLUDED

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland, Australia

Tuesday 22nd - Wednesday 23rd Oct 2024

THE 13th AUSTRALIAN SMALL BRIDGES CONFERENCE FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM SPAN BRIDGES.
Adelaide Convention Centre, Australia Tuesday 28 July 2026 - Wednesday 29 July 2026



VIEW OUR RECENT 2024 SPEAKING PROGRAM AND ABSTRACT

Proceedings of the 12th Australian Small Bridges Conference.

DOWNLOAD HERE

(WARNING: Note that this download is 141 MB in size and the Proceeding is 1054 pages. )

This is now available. Please do not circulate. The Final Version  will soon be available, and this will be able to be freely circulated.

SPEAKING AND CONFERENCE PROGRAM

We have accepted  ninety abstracts for presentation.

VIEW THE SPEAKING PROGRAM. Click HERE (Updated 21 Oct).

VIEW OUR ABSTRACTS: Click  HERE to view  each accepted abstract in full (Updated 9 Oct).

DAY 1- TUESDAY 22 Oct 2024

  • 8.00 am Registration and Exhibition Opens. Tea & Coffee will be available from 8.00 am
  • 8.40 am Conference Opens and Speaking Streams commence
  • 5.55 pm Day 1 Speaking Program Concludes
  • 6.00 – 7.15 pm Networking Drinks (Included for all Tuesday Delegates)/Women In Bridges Networking Drinks
  • 7.15 pm Optional Conference Dinner (is an extra cost)

DAY 2- WEDNESDAY 23 OCT 2024

  • 7.30 am Women in Bridges Breakfast Forum
  • 8.00 am Registration and Exhibition Opens. Tea & Coffee will be available from 8.00 am
  • 8.40 am Conference Speaking Streams commence
  • 4.00 pm Speaking Streams conclude and Conference closes.

Projects and Speakers are from around the world, and are not just Australia. Delegates, as well as Exhibitors, also attend from many different countries, though Australians are our largest  proportion of  attendees.

WOMEN IN BRIDGES

The involvement of  Women in Bridges is one of our conference themes this year and we have organised two special events for this.  Both are free for our female delegates to attend.  We will closer to the conference contact all of our female attendees on these events to see if they wish to attend so that we can mange our catering and venue requirements.

WOMEN IN BRIDGES NETWORKING DRINKS – END OF DAY ONE – 6.00 PM
This will be informal in nature and the main purpose is  to provide an avenue for all of our female attendees to meet and network in a more social setting.
 
WOMEN IN BRIDGES BREAKFAST FORUM – 7.30 AM DAY  2 

This will be a forum over breakfast with a panel of female engineers who will also engage with our female attendees over issues , and information, that our panellists  will raise on the topic of Women in Bridges. 

PANEL MEMBERS:

  • Dr Torill Pape, Deputy Chief EngineerStructures, Qld. Department of Transport and Main Roads
  • Diana Zagora, Director Civil Engineering Infrastructure, TfNSW 
  • Aida Bartels,  Associate Principal, Arup  
  • Sabina Piras , Principal, WSP, NEW ZEALAND
  • Tiffany Parker, Coordinator Transport Structures, City of Gold Coast

DRESS CODE

For all Day Sessions (Speaking Streams)  and Social Functions (Networking Drinks and the Optional Conference Dinner) – Smart Casual or Business attire. Ties are optional, but are definitely not required!



ABOUT OUR CONFERENCE

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia

including  Geotechnical Engineering and Civil Works for Bridges, Road and Rail 

Since 2005, the long running Australian Small Bridges Conference, and Exhibition, provides practical guidance and alerts bridge, road and rail engineers, asset owners, managers, contractors and suppliers about significant new developments and requirements for small to medium span bridges, including culverts and associated civil and geotechnical works.

Sustainability, Environmental and Safety (Worker and Road User) Issues  are all topics gaining increasing focus.

The conference includes Geotechnical Engineering and Civil Works.

Bridges and culverts can be for road vehicles, trains, aircraft, mining equipment, pedestrians, cyclists, services, powerlines or even stock and wildlife.

While the conference will be conducted in Australia, projects and topics are from throughout the world. In 2023, we had speakers from seven different countries presenting.

CONFERENCE UPDATE LIST

To be added to our 12th Australian Small Bridges Conference 2024 Update List, email Karlene at karlene@leadinginfrastructure.com

2023 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

To download the Proceedings of the 11th Australian Small Bridges Conference click HERE

ATTEND EITHER SINGLE DAY OR BOTH DAYS STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Timber, Concrete, Steel and Composite Bridge Materials
NINETY PRESENTATIONS THREE SPEAKING STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Rail
Timber Railway Bridges
NINETY PRESENTATIONS THREE SPEAKING STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Geotechnical and Civil Works
Services and Utilities
.
NINETY PRESENTATIONS THREE SPEAKING STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Mining and Industrial
Pedestrian, Cyclist and Stock/Wildlife Bridges
ATTEND EITHER SINGLE DAY OR BOTH DAYS STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Repair, Strengthening and Maintenance
Investigation, Assessment and Asset Management
Culverts
NINETY PRESENTATIONS THREE SPEAKING STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Bridge Safety Upgrades - Safety Barriers
Road Bridges and Bridge Replacement
How to provide for Utility Services and Piers
NINETY PRESENTATIONS THREE SPEAKING STREAMS OVER TWO DAYS
A broad range of topics will be covered. Each Speaking Session will be themed.
Scour and Flood Damage
Elevated Boardwalks
Steel Bridges
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Proudly Sponsored by our Platinum  Sponsor DOWN UNDER BRIDGE UNITS

 and  our Gold Sponsor: LB AUSTRALIA.

Silver Sponsors

 Bronze Sponsors

The photographs below are from some of the accepted abstracts for 2024

EXHIBITION & SPONSORSHIP

OUR EXHIBITION AREA IS  SOLD OUT

YOU CAN STILL ADVERTISE OR SPONSOR- BOOK  NOW

The Conference will feature a comprehensive exhibition which will provide conference attendees the opportunity to view and discuss innovative products and services now available from bridge contractors, designers and suppliers.

This exhibition is Australasia’s only exhibition dedicated to small to medium bridges and culverts. It will also be Australasia’s largest bridge exhibition.

Exhibition bookings are open. Book your booth now.

For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities please contact Scott Matthews (See contact details below).

Scott Matthews BEng
Conference Chair and Convenor

Email: scott@leadinginfrastructure.com

Phone: 0448 777 058

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

SUBMIT ON BRIDGES, CULVERTS, ELEVATED BOARDWALKS & ASSOCIATED GEOTECHNICAL/CIVIL WORKS SECOND

SEE POSSIBLE ABSTRACTS - TOPICS

The two-day, three stream, speaking program may include topics such as:

• Sustainability and Environmental Issues

• Flooding and Scour

• Investigation and Testing

• Asset Management

• Condition Assessment

• Structural Design including Load Capacity

• Bridge Code Changes

• Repair, Maintenance, Painting, Refurbishment and or/Strengthening

• New Construction

• Materials: Timber, Concrete, Steel, Stone and Composite

• Culverts

• Innovations in Design, Construction and Maintenance

• Architectural and Heritage Issues

• Bridge Components including Joints and Bearings

• Provision for Services and Power

• Crash Barriers and Protection, as well as Handrails and Pedestrian Barriers

• Road User and Worker Safety

• Structures for Road, Rail, Pedestrian, Cycling, Mining, Industrial  and Airport Applications

• Geotechnical Engineering, Retaining Walls and Earth Structures

• Piling

• Civil Works

 

Experienced bridge practitioners, and asset owners, including from local government, will present technical topics and case studies that will focus on best practice in design, construction, maintenance, asset management and new technologies.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The Australian Small Bridges Conference has now been held eleven times, and is conducted every 14-24 months. The first conference was held on 12-13 October 2005 in Sydney, Australia and to date it has been Chaired each time by Scott Matthews.

 

The conference alerts bridge and road engineers, managers, contractors and suppliers about significant new technical developments and requirements for short to medium bridges, and like structures including culverts, viewing platforms etc.

 

The conference will also have speakers on associated geotechnical engineering and civil works. All speakers are encouraged to deliver very practical presentations and technical papers.

 

The conference program is held over two days in multiple streams and has a focus on small to medium span bridges for road, rail, wildlife, stock and pedestrians.

 

Unlike many bridge conferences, this conference has a focus on Small and Medium Span Bridges, as well as Culverts. These structures are the most common type of bridge in use. Local Government Authorities are in particular currently faced with major challenges in their management.

 

Small to Medium Span Bridges are located not only within road reserves but also occur on railways, parks and gardens, national parks, mines, airfields, private property and in public areas such zoos. They can be for road vehicles, trains, aircraft, mining equipment, services, pedestrians or even stock and wildlife.

 

This conference brings together councils, state government road managers, railways, government agencies and the private sector. Senior managers and leading practitioners and consultants in the bridge sector will present up-to-the-minute, highly relevant information to assist road/rail managers and engineers to perform their roles in an increasingly complex road environment.

SUBMIT ABSTRACTS VIA EMAIL

The Second Call for Abstracts  closed on 14 JUNE 2024. 

If accepted a Technical Paper will be due by 20th September 2024.

Projects and Speakers may be from anywhere in the world, and not just Australia. Delegates also attend from many different countries, though Australians are our largest most common attendees.

Email all abstracts using the Abstract Submission Form, to:
Scott Matthews BEng
Conference Chair and Convenor

Email: support@leadinginfrastructure.com

Phone: 0448 777 058

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT

To propose an abstract for presentation, you MUST use the ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM.  Click HERE to download the form.  The Second Call Call will close on 14 JUNE 2024.

To complete the form you will need to provide the following:

  • Topic Title
  • Synopsis (approx 100-300 words). Images and drawings may also be submitted.
  • Author/s Name, Business Title, Organisation,
    Bio (approx 50-100 words) and pic (head-shot)
  • Proposed Speaker/s (ie which of the co-authors, if there are multiple authors, will present at the conference)
  • Do not submit as a PDF of the form as we cannot easily and use it.

Projects, and topics, can be located anywhere in the world, and do not have to be Australian.

Please see our topics list in our POSSIBLE ABSTRACTS -TOPICS Tab at left as a guide as to what abstracts may be suitable, however abstracts on other topics will also be reviewed. You can also look at the abstracts that were accepted for previous conferences as a quide.

Presentations, and Technical Papers, are required to be in English.

Email all abstracts to:
ATTENTION: Scott Matthews BEng
Conference Chair and Convenor

Email: support@leadinginfrastructure.com

Phone: 0448 777 058

SPEAKER REGISTRATION

All Speakers will need to register online and paid in full by 20th August for a two-day speaker registration to attend the conference and present, unless they have a two day speaker registration as part of a Sponsorship or Exhibition Package.

TECHNICAL PAPERS
If your Abstract is accepted, a Technical Paper will need to be prepared and lodged by COB Friday 20th September 2024.

  • You will need to use our Technical Paper Template, which will be forwarded after an Abstract has been accepted. However you can see the 2023 Proceedings as a guide.
  • Do not submit as a PDF as we cannot edit and track changes on it.
  • There is no recommended maximum length limit for Technical Papers.

  • We will publish the Proceedings as an eBook PDF.
ASSET OWNER APPROVAL

If your accepted abstract is on an asset that you do not own please consult with the asset owner on the suitability of your final technical paper and presentation content and gain any necessary permission from the asset owner for the abstract, technical paper and presentation. 

Please also note that this process can take some time to achieve with some asset owners.

Where approval is required, you may submit an initial abstract to see if it will be accepted, and if accepted, then gain permission. In this situation your abstract will be kept private till permission is gained.

2019 PROCEEDINGS

We have decided to make the Proceedings of our 9th Australian Small Bridges Conference 2019  (508 pages) available for free. 

 You can download the full proceedings by clicking the button below.