Morell Bridge

Morell Bridge
Official name Morell Bridge
Carries Pedestrians and cyclists
Crosses Yarra River
Locale Melbourne, Australia
Design Arch bridge
Opened 1899

The Morell Bridge is a bridge over the Yarra River in South Yarra, Melbourne, Australia. Completed in 1899 by John Monash and J. T. N. Anderson, it is notable for being the first bridge in Victoria to be built using reinforced concrete.[1][2][3][4]

It features decorations on the three arch spans, including large dragon motifs and ornamental Victorian lights. The gutters on the bridge are cobbled bluestone, with a single lane bitumen strip running down the middle. The Bridge is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[5]

Orignally known as the Anderson Street bridge, it was named the Morell Bridge in 1936 after Sir Stephen Morell[6] who was a prominent Victorian businessman and Lord Mayor of Melbourne between 1926 and 1928.

On June 7, 1998 the bridge was closed to motor vehicles as part of the CityLink project.[7] It is currently used by cyclist and pedestrian traffic, connecting the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Olympic Park precinct.

References

  1. ^ City of Melbourne. "Bridges of Melbourne: Bridge Management Plan" (PDF). www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080731153409/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/rsrc/PDFs/Graffiti/BridgeManagementPlan.PDF. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
  2. ^ "The Monier Bridge". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.): p. 6. 21 July 1899. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9533748. Retrieved 13 November 2011. 
  3. ^ Morell Bridge at Structurae
  4. ^ Kristin, Otto (2009), Yarra : a diverting history, Text Publishing, p. 190, ISBN 978-1-921520-00-6 
  5. ^ "Morell Bridge, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1440, Heritage Overlay HO395". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic#detail_places;1070. 
  6. ^ Dunstan, David (1986). "Morell, Sir Stephen Joseph (1869–1944)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/morell-sir-stephen-joseph-7651. Retrieved 13 November 2011. 
  7. ^ "Closure of Morrell Bridge Announced" (PDF). www.transurban.com.au. 7 June 1998. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20080720081210/http://www.transurban.com.au/transurban_online/tu_nav_black.nsf/v/ECBE6A671EBE450FCA25707400322577/$file/03-MEDIA-ClosureOfMorrellBridgeAnnounced-06June98.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-08.