Eleanor Schonell Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Eleanor Schonell Bridge, better known as the Green Bridge, is a 390-metre (1,280 ft)-long cable-stayed bridge
which crosses the Brisbane River
between Dutton Park
and the University of Queensland
's St Lucia
campus. Its deck is 185 metres long, 20 metres wide and about 18 metres above the river's surface. The bridge was opened on 17 December 2006, and is the first bridge in Australia
exclusively designed for bus
es, cyclists
and pedestrian
s, as well as the first public transport bridge built in Australia since the early 1900s. The bridge cost $55.5 million to construct.
The opening of the bridge signalled the end of the popular cross-river ferry service between Dutton Park and St Lucia, which had been a family owned and operated business, running this and other ferry services on the Brisbane River for nearly 70 years. The Dutton Park ferry service ran for 68 years, the only times the service was suspended during that period was on occasions of flooding, making it too dangerous to operate. The two ferries that remained at the cessation of the service, MV Loyalty and MV Vicky Lynn were sold, the Loyalty now being used as a private vessel and the Vicky Lynn as a floating advertisement for the Riverpoint Luxury Apartments in West end.
A related transport infrastructure project is the Eastern Busway
which links the Eleanor Schonell Bridge with the Citytrain
network at Park Road station
and to the South East Busway.
announced three new bus services which will use the bridge. These services are the 109, 169 and 209. The 109 started operation on 18 December 2006, and links UQ to the city via Annerley Road and the CBD end of the South East Busway. The 169 service began in February 2007 and links UQ with Eight Mile Plains and Garden City. The 209 service also began in February 2007, and links UQ with Carindale.
The fourth service, the 139, was introduced in July 2007 in order to address overcrowding issues on the 169 and on Mains Road services from the Griffith University busway station, and links UQ with Sunnybank and Sunnybank Hills. The 139 only operates on weekdays during university semesters.
The fifth service, the 192, was announced in October 2008 and is designed to connect the university to West End and Highgate Hill. The 192 is not a new service; rather it is an extension of an older route servicing the West End/Highgate Hill area. It only operates on weekdays.
and the Brisbane City Council, with extra buses having to be put on to cater to the large number of commuters traveling to St. Lucia campus. Once the Boggo road busway is complete, the improved efficiency for the rail/bus interface at Park Road Station is expected to open up the St. Lucia area to more travelers.
The new route possibilities are not all one-sided; northside commuters now have a 15-minute cycle along Annerley Road and the Goodwill bridge to the CBD from the UQ side of the bridge.
, without any non-pedestrian thoroughfare options into the streets around The University of Queensland or St Lucia. The separate path for cyclists on the bridge leads directly through to various paths away from the bridge, a deliberate measure to ensure that "there will be no through-running bus service connected to the campus or to the suburb of St Lucia".
announced on 28 August 2006 that the Green Bridge would officially be called the Eleanor Schonell Bridge. An independent panel including Brisbane historian
and author Helen Gregory
, University of Queensland
academic Professor
Michael Keniger, Architect
Bill Corker from Denton Corker Marshall
and a representative from the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council Milindee Jeewandara produced a short list of three names to Brisbane's Civic Cabinet from hundreds suggested by the public being: Eleanor Schonell
Bridge, Hawken
Bridge and University Bridge.
During its conception and construction, the bridge was known as the "Green Bridge
" because it was a sustainable transport
initiative and since the naming many people have continued to call it the Green Bridge in preference to its official name.
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
which crosses the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
between Dutton Park
Dutton Park, Queensland
Dutton Park is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 5 km south of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is predominantly residential, with some light industrial and commercial areas....
and the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
's St Lucia
St Lucia, Queensland
St Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
campus. Its deck is 185 metres long, 20 metres wide and about 18 metres above the river's surface. The bridge was opened on 17 December 2006, and is the first bridge in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
exclusively designed for bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, cyclists
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
and pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s, as well as the first public transport bridge built in Australia since the early 1900s. The bridge cost $55.5 million to construct.
The opening of the bridge signalled the end of the popular cross-river ferry service between Dutton Park and St Lucia, which had been a family owned and operated business, running this and other ferry services on the Brisbane River for nearly 70 years. The Dutton Park ferry service ran for 68 years, the only times the service was suspended during that period was on occasions of flooding, making it too dangerous to operate. The two ferries that remained at the cessation of the service, MV Loyalty and MV Vicky Lynn were sold, the Loyalty now being used as a private vessel and the Vicky Lynn as a floating advertisement for the Riverpoint Luxury Apartments in West end.
Construction
The construction of the bridge has included a new road through Dutton Park, the expansion of Annerley Road, a new bus station for the University of Queensland and the permanent redirection of College Road in St Lucia.A related transport infrastructure project is the Eastern Busway
Eastern Busway
The Eastern Busway is a bus-only corridor in Brisbane, Queensland. The busway runs from the University of Queensland St Lucia Campus via the Eleanor Schonell Bridge, connects with the South East Busway at Buranda busway station and then extends to Coorparoo following the Old Cleveland Road...
which links the Eleanor Schonell Bridge with the Citytrain
CityTrain
Citytrain is the brand name of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately in route length...
network at Park Road station
Park Road railway station, Brisbane
Park Road Station is a railway station in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Queensland Rail City network.It is in a transition precinct between Zone 1 and Zone 2 of the TransLink integrated public transport system....
and to the South East Busway.
Public transport services
To coincide with the opening, TransLinkTransLink (South East Queensland)
The TransLink Transit Authority is the authority introduced by the Queensland Government in June 2003 as a section of Queensland Transport to coordinate and integrate rail, bus and ferry services. TransLink works with Airtrain, Brisbane Transport, Brisbane Ferries, QR Citytrain and 17 other...
announced three new bus services which will use the bridge. These services are the 109, 169 and 209. The 109 started operation on 18 December 2006, and links UQ to the city via Annerley Road and the CBD end of the South East Busway. The 169 service began in February 2007 and links UQ with Eight Mile Plains and Garden City. The 209 service also began in February 2007, and links UQ with Carindale.
The fourth service, the 139, was introduced in July 2007 in order to address overcrowding issues on the 169 and on Mains Road services from the Griffith University busway station, and links UQ with Sunnybank and Sunnybank Hills. The 139 only operates on weekdays during university semesters.
The fifth service, the 192, was announced in October 2008 and is designed to connect the university to West End and Highgate Hill. The 192 is not a new service; rather it is an extension of an older route servicing the West End/Highgate Hill area. It only operates on weekdays.
Traffic impact
Although southside travelers previously had the option of boarding a cross-river ferry, the bridge has a far greater capacity. Average river crossing times have also improved, especially in the off-peak when only one ferry was in use. The popularity of the bridge had initially proven troubling to TransLinkTransLink (South East Queensland)
The TransLink Transit Authority is the authority introduced by the Queensland Government in June 2003 as a section of Queensland Transport to coordinate and integrate rail, bus and ferry services. TransLink works with Airtrain, Brisbane Transport, Brisbane Ferries, QR Citytrain and 17 other...
and the Brisbane City Council, with extra buses having to be put on to cater to the large number of commuters traveling to St. Lucia campus. Once the Boggo road busway is complete, the improved efficiency for the rail/bus interface at Park Road Station is expected to open up the St. Lucia area to more travelers.
The new route possibilities are not all one-sided; northside commuters now have a 15-minute cycle along Annerley Road and the Goodwill bridge to the CBD from the UQ side of the bridge.
St. Lucia end
The traffic area at the St Lucia end of the bridge terminates as a cul-de-sacCul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
, without any non-pedestrian thoroughfare options into the streets around The University of Queensland or St Lucia. The separate path for cyclists on the bridge leads directly through to various paths away from the bridge, a deliberate measure to ensure that "there will be no through-running bus service connected to the campus or to the suburb of St Lucia".
Naming
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell NewmanCampbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman is the leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He was the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 to 2011....
announced on 28 August 2006 that the Green Bridge would officially be called the Eleanor Schonell Bridge. An independent panel including Brisbane historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and author Helen Gregory
Helen Gregory
Helen Gregory is a prominent historian, author and retired public servant in and of Brisbane, Queensland Australia and its surrounds.She holds a BA from the University of Queensland and is a former adjunct professor of that institution....
, University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
academic Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Michael Keniger, Architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Bill Corker from Denton Corker Marshall
Denton Corker Marshall
Denton Corker Marshall is a major award-winning Australian architecture practice established in Melbourne in 1972. It was founded by architects John Denton, Bill Corker, and Barrie Marshall...
and a representative from the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council Milindee Jeewandara produced a short list of three names to Brisbane's Civic Cabinet from hundreds suggested by the public being: Eleanor Schonell
Fred Schonell
Sir Fred Schonell was an Australian educationist, and vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland from 1960 to 1969....
Bridge, Hawken
Roger Hawken
Roger William Hercules Hawken , an Australian engineer, was the first lecturer in Civil Engineering, and then a professor, at the University of Queensland.-Personal life:...
Bridge and University Bridge.
Eleanor Schonell made an internationally recognised contribution to testing for dyslexiaDyslexiaDyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and was renowned for her generous and humane approach to life.
Her work with cerebral palsyCerebral palsyCerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
children led to international recognition and she also contributed substantially to the education of children with intellectual disabilities.
During its conception and construction, the bridge was known as the "Green Bridge
Green Bridge
-Structures:*Wildlife crossing, a bridge built to allow wildlife to move over highways safely*Pedestrian separation structure, a structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway-Bridges:in Australia...
" because it was a sustainable transport
Sustainable transport
Sustainable transport refers to any means of transport with low impact on the environment, and includes walking and cycling, transit oriented development, green vehicles, CarSharing, and building or protecting urban transport systems that are fuel-efficient, space-saving and promote healthy...
initiative and since the naming many people have continued to call it the Green Bridge in preference to its official name.
Green power
To conserve energy consumption energy efficient and low wattage lights were used. Feature lighting was also minimised to reduce both power requirements and the impact of the bridge on the surrounding area. Cut-off timers and remote operation features were also incorporated to reduce the amount of unnecessary lighting while still maintaining a safe environment for users. The energy requirement of the bridge is generated by a high profile solar roof, containing 108 x 175W panels. The solar roof feeds electricity back into the supply authority grid thereby offsetting the mains power electricity used by the bridge at night.Incidents
On 24 October 2009, 21 year old University of Queensland student Whitney Heuvel urged his friends to use a cellular phone to film him jumping off the bridge. Intoxicated, he misjudged the rails and fell awkwardly, resulting in his death.See also
- Public transport in Brisbane
- Dutton Park Ferry