| Hornibrook Bridge | |
|---|---|
Looking south, Houghton Highway on left, 2005 |
|
| Carries | trucks, bicycle |
| Crosses | Bramble Bay |
| Locale | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Designer | Sir Manuel Hornibrook |
| Design | Viaduct |
| Material | Wood |
| Total length | 2.684 km |
| Width | 7.92 m[1] |
| Number of spans | 294[1] |
| Construction begin | 8 June 1932[1] |
| Opened | 14 October 1935[1] |
| Heritage status | Queensland listed structure |
| Closed | 14 July 2010 |
Hornibrook Bridge was one of three bridges that crossed 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. The third is the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge, which opened to traffic in July 2010 and led to the Hornibrook Bridge being closed shortly after.
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The Hornibrook Bridge was opened by Queensland Premier Arthur Edward Moore 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 2.684 kilometres (1.668 mi),[1] is the longest in the country. When built, it was the longest bridge in the southern hemisphere, and the second longest in the world after the Maestri Bridge in the United States. Today, it is the second longest bridge in the southern hemisphere, shorter than only the Makinac Bridge. 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.
The bridge was closed to foot traffic on 14 July 2010.[2] Before its closing, the Hornibrook Bridge was the longest footbridge in the world. Currently, this title is held by the Poughkeepsie Bridge, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA.
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.
The Hornibrook Bridge will be demolished and only the iconic bridge entry portals shall be preserved. It is also planned that 100m of the bridge at the Clontarf (northern end) will be reconstructed for fishing and recreation purposes. The bridge was closed on 14 July 2010, and its demolition is scheduled for completion in mid 2011.[2][3]