Tom Uglys Bridge

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The 1929 steel truss spans of Tom Ugly's Bridge from the north.

Tom Uglys Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the Georges River in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It consists of two separate bridges that carry the Princes Highway, linking the St George area at Blakehurst to the Sutherland Shire at Sylvania.

The original crossing was opened on the 11th May 1929 and was then known as the "Georges River Bridge". It was designed by Percy Allan and consists of six steel truss spans forming a total length of 499m (545 yds).^[1] When it was opened, it was the longest bridge in Australia. ^[2]

om Ugly's Bridge, from the southern bank, with the 1929 bridge on the left, during the repainting process, and the 1987 bridge on the right.

A second bridge, which opened on 17 October 1987, was built adjacent to alleviate traffic congestion. The new bridge was designed to carry four lanes of the Princes Highway, three southbound and one northbound, which allows the original bridge to carry three northbound lanes. An interesting feature of the bridge complex is that the two bridges veer away from each other - they are close together at the northern end, and about 100m (109 yds) apart at the southern end. Most duplicated bridges are close together (like the dual bridges at Ryde) allowing the form of the road approaches to continue. At Tom Ugly's, the Princes Highway curves around to the left on the northbound approach to the 1929 bridge. The southbound approach is much straighter. Between the two bridges is a boat ramp, accessible from the northbound bridge approach, which affords a unique view of the two bridges.

In 2006 the original lead paint was removed from the 1929 steel truss bridge and the whole span was repainted. The lead paint was removed using a blasting process and an air extraction system was employed to safely remove airborne particles, protecting the environment as well as the workers..^[1]

Tom Uglys Bridge took its name from the southernmost part of Blakehurst, known as Tom Uglys Point. The point is said to be named after local resident Tom Huxley and was transformed by the mispronunciation by local Aborigines. The name was officially adopted to distinguish between the various bridges of the Georges River, after the opening of the Captain Cook Bridge in 1965 and the Alfords Point Bridge in 1973.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Tom Ugly's Bridge Maintenance works", Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW
2. ^ "Tom Uglys Bridge over the Georges River", Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW