The Albert Cotter Bridge, also known as the ''Tibby Cotter bridge'', is a pedestrian bridge across

Anzac Parade, Sydney Anzac Parade is a major road in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It included part of the marathon during the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the blue line denoting the marathon's path still exists today. Route Anzac Parade starts at ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It was built to primarily to cater for crowds exiting the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium.

History

Construction on the Albert Cotter Bridge commenced in 2014. It was opened in time for the

2015 Cricket World Cup The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...

. It was named after Albert "Tibby" Cotter, an Australian Test cricket player killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It is a shared pedestrian and cycle pathway. The bridge features concrete

helical Helical may refer to: * Helix, the mathematical concept for the shape * Helical engine, a proposed spacecraft propulsion drive * Helical spring, a coilspring * Helical plc, a British property company, once a maker of steel bar stock * Helicoil A t ...

approach ramps and a superstructure formed using two curved steel box beams. The bridge's construction was criticised by the

Auditor-General of New South Wales The Auditor-General of New South Wales helps the Parliament of New South Wales hold government accountable for its use of public resources. The Auditor-General is responsible for audits of NSW Government agencies, universities, and NSW local go ...

finding that the tight construction timeline significantly added 25 million to its cost. Additional criticism was raised by the

Heritage Council of New South Wales The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Herita ...

due to the relocation of a monument on Anzac Parade and cycling lobby groups as the walkway does not connect with existing cycleways.

Criticism

Since its opening, the design of the Albert Cotter bridge has been heavily criticised by pedestrians. It has been described as a "white elephant" for its inappropriate positioning and, because the helical approach forces pedestrians to walk 440 metres to travel ~200 metres, it has also been called "the worst", and "a dumb bridge because it goes around in a big circle".

References

Bridges completed in 2015 Bridges in Sydney Concrete bridges in Australia Cyclist bridges in Australia Pedestrian bridges in Australia 2015 establishments in Australia