Great Bridges Codexery

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The iconic steel arch bridge spanning Sydney Harbour, known as the Coathanger.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge

via Wikipedia: Sydney Harbour Bridge · see source

Where it is

Street map of the area around Sydney Harbour Bridge; the red dot marks 33°51′07″S 151°12′40″E
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Coordinates: 33°51′07″S 151°12′40″E (-33.8520, 151.2110) · Open in OpenStreetMap

Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Sydney Harbour Bridge (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.

Connecting the central business district to the North Shore, the steel through arch Sydney Harbour Bridge spans Sydney Harbour.[1] Due to its arch shape, the bridge is called "the Coathanger" and accommodates trains, cars, bikes, and people on foot.[1] With a height of 134 m from its top to the water, this bridge ranks as the world's tallest steel arch bridge.[2]

SydneyHarbourBridge1 gobeirne
SydneyHarbourBridge1 gobeirne. Image: Photograph by Greg O'Beirne · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Geography and history

The arch has a span of 504 m, and its summit is 134 m above mean sea level.[3] Plans to build a bridge existed as early as 1814, when convict Francis Greenway proposed one to Governor Lachlan Macquarie.[4] The contract was awarded to Dorman Long & Co of Middlesbrough, England, on 24 March 1924 for an arch bridge at a quoted price of AU£4,217,721 11s 10d.[5] Sixteen workers died during construction.[6]

09 Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia
09 Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia. Image: Marek Ślusarczyk ( Tupungato ) Photo gallery · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Bradfield Highway, which is the name of the main road crossing the bridge, has a length of roughly 2.4 km.[7] A worldwide call for harbour bridge designs and construction was launched by the Lyne government in 1900.[8] Dorman Long handled the bridge's design and construction, working under John Bradfield from the New South Wales Department of Public Works; the structure opened in 1932.[9] The arch's construction started on 26 October 1928, and the two arch halves first made contact on 19 August 1930.[10]

ESEAP 2022 dinner cruise - Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House - view from the waters
ESEAP 2022 dinner cruise - Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House - view from the waters. Image: Robertsky · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The bridge's total construction cost was AU£6.25 million, and it was fully paid off only in 1988.[11]

Sydney (AU), Darling Harbour, Pyrmont Bridge -- 2019 -- 2087
Sydney (AU), Darling Harbour, Pyrmont Bridge -- 2019 -- 2087. Image: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sydney (AU), Coastal Cliff Walk -- 2019
Sydney (AU), Coastal Cliff Walk -- 2019. Image: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay
Photo of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay. Image: JCL888 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "7BridgesWalk.com.au", Bridge History; "Sydney Harbour Bridge", Government of Australia, 14 August 2008 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sydney Harbour Bridge", culture.gov.au; "Widest Bridge", Guinness World Records; "Port Mann Bridge", Transportation Investment Corporation, 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge", Year 9 NSW//History//Investigating History, 2008; "Bridge Facts", Pylon Lookout: Sydney Harbour Bridge; "Bridge History", Pylon Lookout: Sydney Harbour Bridge; "Bridge History", Pylon Lookout: Sydney Harbour Bridge (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sydney Harbour Bridge", culture.gov.au; "Archives In Brief 37 – A brief history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge", The State Archives; "Archives In Brief 37 – A brief history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge", The State Archives (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dr J.J.C. Bradfield", Pylon Lookout: Sydney Harbour Bridge; "Archives In Brief 37 – A brief history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge", The State Archives; "Archives In Brief 37 – A brief history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge", The State Archives; "The Vote", 10 October 1924 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "AtlasDirect news", Harbour Bridge (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sydney Harbour Bridge Facts for Kids", Facts For Kids, 12 May 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Short History of the Sydney Harbour Bridge", Transport NSW (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dr J.J.C. Bradfield", Pylon Lookout: Sydney Harbour Bridge; "Olympic connections across the UK", BBC News, 19 January 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Six million rivets: The timeline", Sydney Harbour Bridge; The Sydney Harbour Bridge Railway Gazette 18 March 1932 page 433 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sydney Harbour Bridge", sydney.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sydney Harbour Bridge (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

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Ranked in

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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