The Grafton Bridge is a heritage-listed bascule

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

that carries the Bent Street (formerly

Summerland Way Summerland Way is a 199–kilometre state route, designated B91, in New South Wales. It runs generally north from Grafton to the state border with Queensland just west of Mount Lindesay, and continues from there into Queensland as Mount Lindes ...

) and North Coast railway line across the Clarence River in

Grafton, New South Wales Grafton ( Bundjalung-Yugambeh: Gumbin Gir) is a city in the Northern Rivers region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located on the Clarence River, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital Sydney. The closest m ...

, Australia. The bridge links the Grafton central business district with South Grafton, and was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register 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 Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999. A parallel New Grafton Bridge, located east of the original bridge and initially consisting of two lanes, opened to traffic on 12 December 2019.

History

A bridge over the Clarence River in Grafton was first conceived in 1915. The original design called for a railway bridge with a footway, but in 1922 the design was changed to accommodate vehicular traffic as well. The bridge was built from 1927 to 1932, although planning for the bridge had been under way as early as 1921. The bridge was designed and built by the

New South Wales Public Works Department NSW Public Works (or New South Wales Public Works), an agency of the Government of New South Wales, was responsible for providing expert advice to government and professional services to government agency clients in New South Wales, Australia. T ...

with steelwork from

Clyde Engineering Clyde Engineering was an Australian manufacturer of locomotives, rolling stock, and other industrial products. It was founded in September 1898 by a syndicate of Sydney businessmen buying the Granville factory of timber merchants Huds ...

. The department decided to construct the bridge itself after being unhappy with the high cost proposed by private tenderers for the project. It was formally opened by

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Isaac Isaacs Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of A ...

on 19 July 1932.

First bridge

The upper level of the bridge supports a two way road for traffic via Bent Street, and its lower level supports a rail bridge that carries the North Coast railway line, a water main, and footbridges on either side. There is provision for a second track across the bridge but at this time it is being used as an easement for a water main. The bascule span was operational from its opening in 1932 until 1969. The bascule can no longer be raised due to an added water main. With the decline in shipping along the Clarence River, the opening span was sealed shut and it can no longer be opened. The bridge heritage listing also includes the three remnant spans of the 1915 timber viaduct south of Grafton railway station, which now remain in situ amidst parkland.

Heritage listing

This bridge is a double-deck road/rail structure, the only one of its type in New South Wales. There is a lift span to allow passing of river traffic that is no longer in use. The bridge presents a commanding visual reminder of rail and road to residents of Grafton. Opening of the bridge in 1932 completed the North coast standard gauge line between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, avoiding the winding route via

Tenterfield Tenterfield is a regional town in New South Wales, Australia. At the , Tenterfield had a population of 4,066. Tenterfield's proximity to many regional centres and its position on the route between Sydney and Brisbane led to its development as a ...

. The

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...

along with the wharf remains are important relics of the development of the north coast railway. The viaduct is representative of similar structures constructed at a range of locations, many of which have been replaced. The Grafton Bridge was listed on the

on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. This item is assessed as historically rare. This item is assessed as scientifically rare. This item is assessed as arch. rare. This item is assessed as socially rare.

Second bridge

Due to high traffic volumes a new parallel bridge was built known as

New Grafton Bridge The New Grafton Bridge, located east of the Grafton Bridge and initially consisting of two lanes, opened to traffic on 12 December 2019. History In 2002, the NSW Government commissioned a study into an additional crossing over Clarence Rive ...

, in November 2016 and the bridge was opened on 12 December 2019 by

Chris Gulaptis Christopher Gulaptis is an Australian politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He represented Clarence for The Nationals from the 2011 by-election until his retirement in March 2023. Background and early caree ...

, the Member for Clarence. The New Grafton Bridge consists of two lanes and has been designed to be increased to four lanes when traffic levels require it. The bridge also carries a

grade-separated In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...

footpath and cycleway.

Gallery

GraftonBasculeBridgeSpanLiftingCirca1932.jpg, Grafton Bridge showing Bascule span lifted to let shipping through; South Grafton old trestle.jpg, Historic timber viaduct remains

References

Attribution

External links

* * * {{Australian railway bridges, state=autocollapse Railway bridges in New South Wales Bridges completed in 1932 Bridges completed in 2019 Grafton, New South Wales Bascule bridges Road-rail bridges in Australia Steel bridges in Australia Truss bridges in Australia Concrete bridges in Australia Girder bridges New South Wales State Heritage Register Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Road bridges in New South Wales 1932 establishments in Australia 2019 establishments in Australia North Coast railway line, New South Wales