The Ryde Bridge(s), also called the Uhrs Point Bridge,
are two
road bridges
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
that carry Concord Road, part of the
A3, across
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Sec ...
from in the
northern suburbs
Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney’s north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney is ...
of
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 Mountains ...
to in Sydney's
inner west
The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River ...
, in
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
, e ...
, Australia.
The two bridges comprise a heritage-listed
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant t ...
Pratt 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, o ...
with inoperable
lift span that carries three lanes of northbound vehicular traffic plus 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 tr ...
pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically.
The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with t ...
footpath, completed in 1935; and a reinforced concrete
fixed-span bridge that carries three lanes of southbound vehicular traffic, completed in 1988.
History
A proposal for the construction of a bridge in lieu of a ferry over the Parramatta River, between Meadowbank and Rhodes, was first submitted to the Minister for Public Works in 1913. Owing to funds being unavailable for the purpose, no action was taken until 1920.
In July 1924, the Minister for Public Works announced in Parliament that he was prepared to introduce a bill to give the involved councils the power to build the bridge. A site investigation followed, and its results was transferred to the Main Roads Board in July 1928.
The original Ryde Bridge was opened on 7 December 1935 by the
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of gov ...
Bertram Stevens, accompanied by the Mayor of
Ryde
Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
.
[ The original bridge is a ]lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.
The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swi ...
, which was required to allow shipping to pass to the State Timber Yard then located on the southern bank of the Parramatta River, just west of the bridge. However the lifting mechanism was removed in the late 20th century and it has not been opened since. The bridge was paid for by the Ryde Council with the assistance of a grant from the New South Wales Government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
. The bridge carried a toll for 13 years until the bridge was paid for. In 1948, ownership of the bridge was transferred to the NSW Department of Main Roads.[ It was officially opened on 25 November 1988 by the Premier ]Nick Greiner
Nicholas Frank Hugo Greiner (;) (born 27 April 1947) is an Australian politician who served as the 37th Premier of New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. Greiner was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 a ...
and Federal Minister For Transport Ralph Willis
Ralph Willis AO (born 14 April 1938) is a former Australian politician who served as a Cabinet Minister during the entirety of the Hawke-Keating Government from 1983 to 1996, most notably as Treasurer of Australia from 1993 to 1996 and briefl ...
.
Before the original bridge was constructed, the Parramatta River was crossed in this area by a vehicular punt, just downstream of the railway bridge. The southern ramp still exists near the southern end of the railway bridge, however the northern ramp has been covered over by Meadowbank ferry wharf.
Heritage significance
Other
The Hexham Bridge, located northeast of Sydney and which spans the Hunter River is very similar to 1935 Pratt truss Ryde Bridge.
See also
* List of bridges in Sydney
References
External links
*
{{Geography of Parramatta River
Bridges in Sydney
Bridges completed in 1935
Vertical lift bridges in Australia
Road bridges in New South Wales
1935 establishments in Australia
Bridges completed in 1987
1987 establishments in Australia
Former toll bridges in Australia
Ryde, New South Wales
Parramatta River
Pratt truss bridges
Steel bridges in Australia
Concrete bridges in Australia
Truss bridges in Australia