The Centenary Bridge is a motorway crossing of the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

. As it forms part of Brisbane's

Centenary Motorway The M5 (Centenary Motorway) is a motorway in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. It starts at the terminus of the A5 Centenary Highway at Springfield, and ends at Kenmore where it changes its name to the M5 Western Freeway. It fe ...

, it is used primarily by vehicular traffic, although it includes footpaths for pedestrian traffic. The bridge was used by 85,000 vehicles per day in 2023.

History

Built to service the new Centenary Suburbs of Jindalee, Mount Ommaney and Westlake, the original two lane bridge opened in 1964. It was financed by the developers of the suburbs,

LJ Hooker LJ Hooker is one of Australia's largest real estate groups, with 600 franchise offices and 6,000 people engaged in residential and commercial property sales and property management. The company was founded in 1928 by Sir Leslie Joseph Hooker a ...

. A second bridge was officially opened by Russell Hinze, Minister for Main Roads, on 27 March 1987. During the 1974 floods, the bridge was badly damaged when a barge rammed into its upstream side. The barge blocked the flow of floodwaters under the bridge and there were fears that it would collapse, harming the spectators on it. The

Police Commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

Ray Whitrod ordered that dynamite be used to sink the barge to protect the bridge. When the floodwater receded, the barge was refloated and beached downstream near Fig Tree Pocket to be cut up for scrap. The damage sustained by the bridge required its partial closure for repairs. For two years after the floods, the bridge was reduced to a single lane, with one way traffic controlled by traffic lights at each end of the bridge.

Bridge duplication

A project to duplicate the Centenary Bridge to three lanes each way, at a cost of $298 million, commenced construction on 20 April 2023. The work will involve two stages. The first stage will build a second adjacent bridge which will have four narrow lanes, expected to open in 2025. The second stage will be an upgrade of the current bridge. When completed in 2027, the two bridges will each carry three lanes of traffic.

References

External links

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Photo of the barge collision
{{Brisbane bridges navigation Bridges in Brisbane Bridges over the Brisbane River Road bridges in Queensland Bridges completed in 1964 Beam bridges in Australia Concrete bridges in Australia 1964 establishments in Australia