ANZAC Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ANZAC Bridge | |
 |
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| Official name | ANZAC Bridge |
|---|---|
| Carries | Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles |
| Crosses | Johnstons Bay |
| Locale | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Maintained by | Roads and Traffic Authority |
| Design | Cable Stayed |
| Longest span | 345m (1131.9ft) |
| Total length | 805m (130ft) |
| Width | 32.2m (105.6ft) |
| Opening date | 1996 |
The ANZAC Bridge or Anzac Bridge (both forms are used by the Roads and Traffic Authority), formerly known as the Glebe Island Bridge, is a large cable-stayed bridge spanning Johnstons Bay between Pyrmont and Rozelle in proximity to the central business district of Sydney, Australia. The bridge forms part of the Western Distributor freeway leading from the Sydney CBD and Cross City Tunnel to the suburbs of the Inner West and Northern Sydney.
It was given its current name on Remembrance Day in 1998 to honour the memory of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) served in World War I. An Australian Flag flies atop the eastern pylon and a New Zealand Flag flies atop the western pylon. A bronze memorial statue of an ANZAC soldier ("digger") was placed on the western end of the bridge on ANZAC Day in 2000.
ANZAC Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Australia, and amongst the longest in the world. The bridge is 32.2 metres (105.6 ft) wide and the main span is 345 metres (1131.9 ft) long. The reinforced concrete pylons are 120 metres (393.7 ft) high and support the deck by two planes of stay cables. Initially the stay cables were plagued by vibrations which have since been resolved by the addition of thin stabilising cables between the stay cables.
The bridge was completed in 1996 to replace the former Glebe Island Bridge, an electrically operated swing bridge in operation since 1901. Increasing traffic and the problem of closing a majory arterial road to allow the movement of shipping into Blackwattle Bay were the principal reasons for the construction of the new bridge. When opened in 1996 with seven lanes for traffic, Glebe Island Bridge was criticised by some as "overengineered" because of its size. The criticism was unfounded and the bridge was reconfigured for eight traffic lanes in 2005.
There is a pedestrian path / bikeway that runs along the northern side of the bridge, making possible a leisurely 30-40 minute walk from Glebe Point Road, down Bridge Road, over the Bridge and round Blackwattle Bay back to Glebe Point Road.
The bridge is now regularly patrolled by security guards as a counter-terrorism measure. Security cameras also guard the walkway.
[edit] Popular culture
The bridge is mentioned in the first line of the You Am I song "Purple Sneakers", which was first released in 1995. As it was not named "ANZAC Bridge" at the time, Tim Rogers' lyric is "Had a scratch only you could itch / underneath the Glebe Point bridge".
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
- Description and history (with construction photos) of the Anzac Bridge, Sydney.
- Structurae: ANZAC Bridge
- Webcam
- Anzac Bridge - Gallipoli Turkey.
