Hobart Bridge
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The Hobart Bridge was a pontoon bridge that crossed the River Derwent, connecting the eastern and western Shores of the City of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia for the first time. It was a floating bridge, constructed of hollow concrete pontoons, 24 in all, connected together forming a crescent shape, and anchored in the middle. The bridge was constructed in 12-pontoon sections which were then towed out into the river and connected to the banks and to each other in the middle. The total volume of concrete used in making thse pontoons was 11,000 cubic yards (8,400 m³). The two halves of the bridge were made of ten 131' 6" (40.0 m) pontoons, one 124' 6" (38.0 m ) section, and one 138' 6" (42.2 m) section, joined in the middle by a 12 3/4" (325 mm) vertical locking pin, which was saved when the bridge was demolished and is now on display outside the Royal Engineers Building in Hobart.. The total length of the roadway was 3,154 feet (961 m). The total width of the bridge was 40' 6" (12.3 m). It had a two-lane roadway and a footpath on one side. At the western end a large lifting section was provided to allow ships to pass. It provided a vertical clearance of 145' 6" (44.3 m) at low tide, and the opening section was 180 ft (55 m) wide. Four 600 hp (450 kW) electric motors were used to open the bridge, which took two minutes. The total weight of steel used in the construction of the bridge was 3,100 long tons (3,150 t).
The bridge was opened to toll traffic on 22 December 1943 and the collection of tolls continued until midnight on 31 December 1948. Soon after its opening a violent storm blew in and damaged a section of the bridge, and to prevent the same happening again, the bridge was anchored to the riverbed in the middle and strengthening cables were added to stiffen the structure. After these modifications were completed the lifespan of the bridge was estimated as 21 years.
The bridge provided much better connection between the Eastern and Western Shores, and consequently development on the Eastern Shore sped up and became so dense by the mid-1950s that the floating bridge could no longer handle the amount of traffic that was crossing it. Congestion became a severe problem, and in the late 1950s the decision was taken to construct a completely new bridge, the Tasman Bridge, which opened in early 1964. The floating bridge was closed to traffic on 17 August that year, and the following day the locking pin was removed and the two concrete sections towed away. For several years they were moored, but one of them sank in November 1970, and the Council undertook to dispose of them. The two halves were cut up and sunk at various locations. The lift span was left in situ for some years but in the end it too was demolished. Today the only reminders of the bridge are the eastern foot of the lifting section which is still in place, and the preserved locking pin. One of the pontoons was sunk at Allonah, and remains in use as a public jetty.
