Hornibrook Bridge

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Looking south, Houghton Highway on left. Photo taken 2005-08-14

Hornibrook Bridge is one of two bridges that cross Bramble Bay, Queensland, Australia. The second is the Houghton Highway, which was built to accommodate rising traffic levels on the two-lane Hornibrook Bridge in the 1970s to increase capacity and cope with future demand.

[edit] History

The Hornibrook Bridge opened on 14 October 1935, connecting the Redcliffe district at Clontarf and Brisbane City at Brighton. It is one of the oldest timber and girder bridges in Australia, and at 2.8km (1.7mi) long is the longest in the country. When built, it was the longest bridge of in the southern hemisphere, and the second longest in the world after the Maestri Bridge in the United States. This bridge originally had two traffic lanes and a pedestrian footpath. It was named after Sir Manuel Hornibrook, the chief engineer of the project.

Timber for the construction of the bridge was brought down the North Pine and Pine Rivers on barges. The hardwood used in piles and girders mostly came from timber mills around Maleny.

Handsome art-deco concrete abutment arches frame the entry and exit approaches. Construction of the bridge was important for the growth of the Redcliffe City peninsula and made the commute to Brisbane shorter and quicker, increasing population growth and the number of visitors to the seaside location.

The bridge was operated and maintained by a private company and a toll applied for much of its life as a traffic bridge, with toll booths set up on the Clontarf side. The bridge closed to traffic in 1979 with the opening of the Houghton Highway.

Looking north, Houghton Highway on right. Photo taken 2005-08-14

[edit] Current use

Since its closure to traffic in 1979, the bridge has become a popular site for recreation and fishing. The bridge also provides the only pedestrian and cycling link between the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane and the Redcliffe Peninsula. It remains a component of the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program.

The structure has received a heritage listing from the Queensland State Government, however concern over State and Council co-operation regarding ongoing maintenance has led to the creation of an E-Petition for the Legislative Assembly of Queensland to legislate to protect and preserve the bridge.