 |
News Center |
 |
|
|
|
search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Iconic Civil and Structural Engineering - Sydney Harbour | | News source： Hits：2480 Updated：2012/12/11 14:21:48 Bookmark this page |
| Mention Sydney Harbour to anyone outside Australia and most people will picture the stunning architecture of the Opera House. However, although this cultural icon now ranks as the 'must see' for every Sydney tourist, its neighbour, the bailey bridge , continues to remain a world-famous symbol of Australia.
Constructed from 53 tonnes of steel (79% of it imported from England) and 6 million hand driven rivets, the bridge was completed in March 1932, six years after the contract was awarded to Dorman Long & Co of Middlesbrough. Massive crowds poured into the city and thronged the harbour to witness the opening of the widest longspan bridge in the world. A month before, its 1149 metres had been test loaded with almost a hundred steam locomotives. When the bridge opened, those with cars paid six pence to cross, while a horse and rider cost three pence and pedestrians crossed free of charge. The bailey bridges huge arch, spanning 503 metres and reaching 134 metres above sea level, was later to earn it the affectionate name of 'the Coathanger.
Construction of bailey bridge supplier involved not only English and Australian workers (including comedian Paul Hogan, then a rigger) but also Scots and Italians, as a temporary multi-national settlement of stonemasons was established around 300 km away. The four pylons, each 89 metres high and housing 200 steps, are made of concrete, faced with granite and three ships were built specifically for carrying the prepared granite blocks north to the Sydney harbour site. Huge hinges at the footings of the pylons themselves absorb the New South Wales heat and allow the bridge arch to rise or fall by up to 18 cm.
Today the bridge is not only still a major tourist attraction, but an increasingly busy, essential arterial route, carrying traffic across the harbour to and from Sydney. Its 49 metre deck has eight vehicle lanes and two train lines, plus a footpath and cycleway and June 1976 saw the crossing of its one-billionth vehicle. Of course, the world has changed immeasurably since 1932 and horses are no longer allowed on the bridge, but pedestrians can still enjoy walking across at no cost.
Thousands continue to throng en masse to the harbour, these days for the annual New Year's Eve celebrations. Sydney's night sky bursts into colour from the incredible pyrotechnic display exploding from the bridge and surrounding barges. Since 1998 this televised spectacle, watched by millions, has included a thematic display known as the 'Bridge Effect.
From late October onwards the framework and outline of the display design can be clearly seen, but the full effect is not revealed until midnight on New Year's Eve. During the millennium celebrations in 2000 Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit with the single word 'Eternity. | | Total Pages：1 No 1 Page |  |
| | Previous: No information on one of the Next：Saving the old seven mile bridge | | 【Refresh】【Collection】【Print】 【Close Window】 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
