Gateway Bridge, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges are a pair of road bridges on the Gateway Motorway
(M1), which skirts the eastern suburbs of Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
. They are the most eastern crossing of the Brisbane River
, the closest to Moreton Bay
, crossing at the Quarries Reach, between Eagle Farm and Murarrie
. The original bridge (formerly named the Gateway Bridge) cost A$140 million to build. The duplicate bridge was opened in May 2010.
On 16 May 2010 the Queensland Government renamed the Gateway Bridge and its duplicate the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges. An opinion poll conducted by Brisbane's Channel Nine News, showed 97% of people are against the decision to rename the bridge.
A public open day for the duplicate bridge was held on the 16th May and the new bridge was opened to traffic on the 22nd May 2010, six months ahead of schedule. Following the opening, the old bridge is being refurbished, three lanes at a time. From November 2010 the two bridges will carry 12 lanes of traffic (six in either direction). The associated upgrade of the Gateway Motorway south of the bridge will be completed in May 2010 to coincide with the new bridge opening.
The bridge is tolled using the Go via
electronic system and will remain so until 2041. The toll booth
s were removed and free flow tolling began in July 2009. The booth removal saw an immediate drop in road crashes due to the reduction in queuing and weaving at the toll booths on the southern approach.
officially opened the bridge.
The construction of the bridge started before the design was completed, to fast track its construction. In 1986 the bridge carried an average of 12,500 vehicles per day. In 2001 the bridge was crossed by 27 million vehicles. In early 2010 the single bridge was carrying an average of 100 000 vehicles per day. The annual Bridge to Brisbane
has begun from the southern entrance to the bridge for the past decade.
free cantilever bridge. It held this record for over 15 years. The box girder is still the largest prestressed concrete, single box in the world, measuring 15 m (49 ft) deep at the pier, with a box width of 12 m (39 ft) and an overall deck width of the 6 lanes of 22 m (72 ft).
The bridge owes its distinctive shape to air traffic
requirements restricting its height to under 80 metres (262.5 ft) above sea level (all features of the bridge including light poles) coupled with shipping needs requiring a navigational clearance of 55 metres (180.4 ft).
The bridge has six lanes (three in each direction). The bridge was financed by funds borrowed by the Queensland Government, and as a result, users of the bridge pay a toll on the southern side of the Brisbane River. The Bridge is operated and maintained by Queensland Motorways
, which is a Queensland Government-owned enterprise.
The total length is 1,627 metres (5,337 ft). This is divided into a southern approach of 376 metres (1,234 ft), a northern approach of 731 metres (2,398 ft) and the three central spans of 520 metres (1,706 ft).
The main span is 260 metres (853 ft) long by 64.5 metres (212 ft) high, which is equivalent to a 20-storey building. A total of 150,000 tonnes (165,000 short tons) of concrete was used to construct the bridge.
The original design did not include a safety fence to prevent suicide attempts and base jumping
. Three-metre high safety fences attached to the top of the concrete traffic barrier were later installed to prevent these incidents occurring. Anti-climbing screens are part of the second bridge's security features.
and joint venture partner AbiGroup
won the contract to upgrade the bridge. The A$
1.88 billion Gateway Upgrade Project includes the duplication of the Gateway Bridge and upgrades to 20 km (12 mi) of the Gateway Motorway from Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road in the south to Nudgee Road in the north. The bridge duplication is the largest bridge and road development in Queensland's history.
To the south, the upgrade includes widening 12 km (7 mi) of the Gateway Motorway from 4 to 6 lanes. To the north, it involves the construction of the 7 km (4 mi) Gateway Motorway deviation, an entirely new six-lane motorway between the Gateway Bridge and Nudgee Road. The deviation runs east of the original motorway through Brisbane Airport Corporation land and provides a second means of access to the Brisbane Airport
. The new bridge provides a bicycle path unlike the first crossing.
The Wynnum Road upgrade was completed on 13 July 2007 and 2 additional southbound lanes between the Port of Brisbane Motorway
and Wynnum Road completed in late 2007. Four of six lanes of the new Gateway Motorway deviation were opened in July 2009. All works south of the river were complete by the end of 2009. The final concrete pour linking the sides of the new bridge was made in late October 2009. A total of 748 concrete segments, which are supported by 17 piers, were placed for the new bridge.
The duplicate bridge was completed in May 2010 along with the remaining lanes of the Gateway Motorway deviation. The existing bridge was refurbished by November 2010.
Gateway Motorway
The Gateway Motorway is a major motorway in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Gateway Bridge is owned and operated by Queensland Motorways....
(M1), which skirts the eastern suburbs of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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...
. They are the most eastern crossing of 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...
, the closest to Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
, crossing at the Quarries Reach, between Eagle Farm and Murarrie
Murarrie, Queensland
Murarrie is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is located in the eastern suburbs on the southern bank of the Brisbane River adjacent to the Gateway Bridge.Murarrie has both residential and industrial sections...
. The original bridge (formerly named the Gateway Bridge) cost A$140 million to build. The duplicate bridge was opened in May 2010.
On 16 May 2010 the Queensland Government renamed the Gateway Bridge and its duplicate the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges. An opinion poll conducted by Brisbane's Channel Nine News, showed 97% of people are against the decision to rename the bridge.
A public open day for the duplicate bridge was held on the 16th May and the new bridge was opened to traffic on the 22nd May 2010, six months ahead of schedule. Following the opening, the old bridge is being refurbished, three lanes at a time. From November 2010 the two bridges will carry 12 lanes of traffic (six in either direction). The associated upgrade of the Gateway Motorway south of the bridge will be completed in May 2010 to coincide with the new bridge opening.
The bridge is tolled using the Go via
Go via
go via is the new form of free-flow tolling for Queensland Motorways and is designed to coincide with the Gateway Upgrade Project. It replaces the previous E Toll system in Queensland, though existing tags will continue to work there and throughout Australia...
electronic system and will remain so until 2041. The toll booth
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
s were removed and free flow tolling began in July 2009. The booth removal saw an immediate drop in road crashes due to the reduction in queuing and weaving at the toll booths on the southern approach.
History
Construction on the Gateway Bridge commenced on 5 June 1980. It was officially commissioned on 11 January 1986. On this day 200,000 people crossed the bridge by foot as part of the opening activities. About five months after the bridge was opened Prince PhillipPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
officially opened the bridge.
The construction of the bridge started before the design was completed, to fast track its construction. In 1986 the bridge carried an average of 12,500 vehicles per day. In 2001 the bridge was crossed by 27 million vehicles. In early 2010 the single bridge was carrying an average of 100 000 vehicles per day. The annual Bridge to Brisbane
Bridge to Brisbane
Bridge to Brisbane is an annual 10 kilometer fun run held in Brisbane, Australia in August.The race distance is currently 10 km, although this has not been consistent over the life of the race. The first race occurred in 1997 with less than 5000 entrants and each year the event raises funds...
has begun from the southern entrance to the bridge for the past decade.
Design
On completion of construction, the (260 m (853 ft)) main span of the Gateway Bridge was a world record for a prestressed concretePrestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
free cantilever bridge. It held this record for over 15 years. The box girder is still the largest prestressed concrete, single box in the world, measuring 15 m (49 ft) deep at the pier, with a box width of 12 m (39 ft) and an overall deck width of the 6 lanes of 22 m (72 ft).
The bridge owes its distinctive shape to air traffic
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
requirements restricting its height to under 80 metres (262.5 ft) above sea level (all features of the bridge including light poles) coupled with shipping needs requiring a navigational clearance of 55 metres (180.4 ft).
The bridge has six lanes (three in each direction). The bridge was financed by funds borrowed by the Queensland Government, and as a result, users of the bridge pay a toll on the southern side of the Brisbane River. The Bridge is operated and maintained by Queensland Motorways
Queensland Motorways
Queensland Motorways is company wholly owned by the Government of Queensland, Australia which operates and owns the Gateway Bridge and 20 km of the Gateway Motorway, Gateway Extension and Logan Motorway. The company began operating in 1980....
, which is a Queensland Government-owned enterprise.
The total length is 1,627 metres (5,337 ft). This is divided into a southern approach of 376 metres (1,234 ft), a northern approach of 731 metres (2,398 ft) and the three central spans of 520 metres (1,706 ft).
The main span is 260 metres (853 ft) long by 64.5 metres (212 ft) high, which is equivalent to a 20-storey building. A total of 150,000 tonnes (165,000 short tons) of concrete was used to construct the bridge.
The original design did not include a safety fence to prevent suicide attempts and base jumping
BASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
. Three-metre high safety fences attached to the top of the concrete traffic barrier were later installed to prevent these incidents occurring. Anti-climbing screens are part of the second bridge's security features.
Outline
In 2005, a major upgrade of the Gateway Motorway was announced. Leighton HoldingsLeighton Holdings
Leighton Holdings is Australia's largest project development and contracting group. It is active in the telecommunications, engineering and infrastructure, building and property, mining and resources, and environmental services industries...
and joint venture partner AbiGroup
Valemus
Lend Lease Infrastructure is the second largest construction and engineering specialist business in Australia and a division of Lend Lease Group....
won the contract to upgrade the bridge. The A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1.88 billion Gateway Upgrade Project includes the duplication of the Gateway Bridge and upgrades to 20 km (12 mi) of the Gateway Motorway from Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road in the south to Nudgee Road in the north. The bridge duplication is the largest bridge and road development in Queensland's history.
To the south, the upgrade includes widening 12 km (7 mi) of the Gateway Motorway from 4 to 6 lanes. To the north, it involves the construction of the 7 km (4 mi) Gateway Motorway deviation, an entirely new six-lane motorway between the Gateway Bridge and Nudgee Road. The deviation runs east of the original motorway through Brisbane Airport Corporation land and provides a second means of access to the Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
. The new bridge provides a bicycle path unlike the first crossing.
Status
The Gateway Upgrade Project is now complete.The Wynnum Road upgrade was completed on 13 July 2007 and 2 additional southbound lanes between the Port of Brisbane Motorway
Port of Brisbane Motorway
Port of Brisbane Motorway is a motorway, which connects the Port of Brisbane to the Gateway Motorway. Stage 1 was opened in December 2002. The motorway was built to take freight traffic off Lytton Road, with about 4,000 vehicles travelling to the Port of Brisbane in 2002...
and Wynnum Road completed in late 2007. Four of six lanes of the new Gateway Motorway deviation were opened in July 2009. All works south of the river were complete by the end of 2009. The final concrete pour linking the sides of the new bridge was made in late October 2009. A total of 748 concrete segments, which are supported by 17 piers, were placed for the new bridge.
The duplicate bridge was completed in May 2010 along with the remaining lanes of the Gateway Motorway deviation. The existing bridge was refurbished by November 2010.
See also
- List of Australian freeways
- Metroad