Story Bridge, Brisbane

From Free net encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)

Revision as of 00:40, 2 April 2006
Figaro (Talk | contribs)
added information
Next diff →

Current revision

The Story Bridge is the second crossing of the Brisbane River. It connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Before the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 the Government of Queensland asked John Bradfield to design a new Brisbane bridge.

The Story Bridge was constructed, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as a public works program during the Great Depression. Construction began on the bridge on 24th May, 1935, with the first sod being turned by the then Premier of Queensland, William Forgan Smith. It was opened on 6th July, 1940 by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland and named for John Douglas Story, a senior and influential public servant. At the time, Fortitude Valley was the commercial centre of the city.

The design for the bridge was based heavily on that of the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal.

It carries three lanes of traffic in either direction as well as a shared pedestrian and cycle way flanking each side. The road on the bridge is called the Bradfield Highway, and is the shortest highway in Australia. It is not to be confused with the Bradfield Highway that spans the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Story Bridge is the home of the Riverfestival and is lit up at night. Bridge climbs are becoming a major tourist attraction.

[edit]

Points of interest

When opened, a toll was levied.

The Brisbane City Council only paid off the debt for the construction of the Story Bridge in 2003.

Trolleybuses operated over the bridge from 1951 to 1969.

The Story Bridge is being repainted to remove the lead based paint. The repainting is performed using protective scaffolding to ensure no lead paint dust escapes.

Upon opening, many locals criticised the Story Bridge for having too many lanes. The six lanes became necessary decades later as traffic worsened.

in 2005, the bridge became one of the only two bridges in the southern hemisphere with a walkway along the top, the other being the Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Story Bridge is one of three bridge climbs offered in the world; the other two being the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Auckland Harbour Bridge (in New Zealand). A fourth climb, on the Purple People Bridge (in Ohio, United States) is set to open in 2006 .

[edit]