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Here are some facts about Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.

Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge, nicknamed 'the coathanger' because of the shape of its design, carries road, rail and pedestrian traffic from Sydney's business district to the North Shore.

The bridge was opened in 1932, and it is just over 1,100 yards long. It is also one of the tallest bridges in the world, with a height of 130 yards from water level to the top.

Around 14,000 workers were employed to build the bridge between 1924 and 1932. Many of these workers were immigrants and they were among the highest paid workers in the country at the time.

Since 1998, tourists have been able to climb to the top of the bridge. It takes almost four hours to climb up and down, and tours leave every 20 minutes.

Whenever the Queensland Rugby League team wins the State Championships, the Queensland state flag is flown from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sydney Harbour Bridge was constructed with approximately 6 million steel rivets. An estimated 72,000 gallons of paint were used to paint the bridge.

For many years, the south east pylon was an observation platform for tourists. The owners also had several white cats which roamed the bridge and became quite famous.

Several planes have successfully flown under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, including a group of 24 Australian Air Force planes and a huge Lancaster bomber.

To make sure that the bridge could hold enough weight, in 1924, its load capacity was tested by placing almost 100 trains on the bridge.

During temperature changes, the size of the huge arch can actually change by up to seven inches. To allow for this, there are specially made hinges in the top of the arch.

What next? Find out some facts about another one of Sydney's famous landmarks - the Sydney Opera House, or discover some facts about more of the world's rivers and bridges.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge Facts - Primary Facts

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Here are some facts about Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge, nicknamed 'the coathanger' because of the shape of its design, carries road, rail and pedestrian traffic from Sydney's business district to the North Shore. The bridge was opened in 1932, and it is just over 1,100 yards long.

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It is 96 years since one of Australia's greatest landmarks - the Sydney Harbour Bridge - began to take shape.

But for 23 years before construction officially started on July 28, 1923, people were trying to make up their minds what the skyline-defining structure should look like.

Way back in 1900, the Australian government decided to hold a worldwide competition for the design and construction of a harbour bridge linking the south and north sides of the New South Wales capital city.

After several competitions over many years, Dorman Long eventually won the contract for the bridge we know so well today.

However, there were more than 70 other ideas from around the world that didn't make the cut.

One of them - F. Ernest Stowe's radical* three-way structure connecting Balls Head, Millers Point and Balmain with a memorial tower and hub on Goat Island - was only narrowly rejected by the government.

Out of curiosity about whether the government made the right call, insurance company Budget Direct commissioned* digital artists to recreate what the Sydney Harbour Bridge would look like if six of the rejected entries had won.

It then surveyed 1000 people using these images to see whether judges chose the right design.

It looks like they were probably right all along: 61.8 per cent said the winning design was their favourite.

The next most popular was Norman Selfe's design, with 10.4 per cent of the votes.

THE OTHER DESIGNS
1. Norman Selfe's design
Shortly after the competition kicked off, Australian engineer and inventor Norman Selfe came up with a design in 1902 that featured three arches.

His design was actually accepted by the NSW authorities.

The selection board said at the time: "The structural lines are correct and in true proportion, and ... the outline is graceful".

However, tough times hit the economy*, resulting in a new government that rejected the whole project, so the bridge remained unbuilt.

To add insult to injury, he couldn't claim any prize money for winning the first competition or £20,000* for further work he did on the designs.

However, his legacy* in Sydney lives on, particularly on the upper north shore where the suburb Normanhurst is named after him.

2. Dorman Long & Co. Ltd's designs
Dorman Long, a steel company from northeast England, won the final competition in 1924 with the design that we all know and love. But it also submitted a total of seven alternative designs.

One of these was a cantilever* bridge with the centre span of 490m.

However, the design failed to meet the required specifications because they used precast concrete blocks rather than granite.

Another design by the company was considered by judges to be "simple and elegant, but aesthetically* too severe for its setting".

3. F. Ernest Stowe's design
Francis Ernest Stowe was an architect and engineer who practised at Parramatta, NSW and submitted this radical design in the 1922 competition.

The design links Balls Head, Miller's Point and Balmain, meeting in the middle with a central tower on Goat Island.

The central tower was to be 152m high and was designed to double as a war memorial, with Goat Island renamed Anzac Isle.

He said at the time: "The whole of the material required for its construction can be manufactured in Australia, as the heavy weight-carrying cables are spun and formed from fine wire. The structural members need only be very light sections".

However, his ambitious plans were narrowly rejected by the government.

4. P.E. Henderson's design
A bridge across the harbour was first proposed back in 1815 when architect and convict Francis Greenway suggested it to the Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

A floating bridge was planned in 1840 by naval architect Robert Brindley, but one of the

earliest known plans drawn up was this proposal by engineer Peter Henderson.

5. David B. Steinman & Holton D. Robinson's design
Two American architects, Robinson & Steinman created this design in 1924.

It combined the principles of both cantilever and suspension bridges and was said to be a suspension bridge of novel* design more rigid* than any other at the time.

However, it wasn't popular and the official report criticised the overall appearance of the design, saying that "the bridge would not have a pleasing outline".

Despite this, the pair would successfully design bridges all over the world.

6. McClintic Marshall Products Company's design
This American steel company was involved in the construction of the George Washington Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge in the US.

It submitted this design, along with a number of others for the 1924 competition.

The design incorporated* cantilever bridges, suspension bridges and an arch bridge.

However, it was not favoured by judges, who felt it wouldn't "harmonise* with its surroundings".

GLOSSARY

radical: something completely different

commissioned: ordered and paid for something to be made

economy: the money system of a country or community

£20,000: Twenty thousand pounds. The pound was the Australian currency until 1966

legacy: what you leave for future generations

cantilever: a long beam or structure that projects out from a single support at one end

aesthetically: in a way that pleases because it is beautiful to look at

novel: new

rigid: does not bend or flex

incorporated: mixed into

harmonise: produce a pleasing combination

EXTRA READING How the Opera House could have looked Keeping our Bridge as good as new'Temporary' Eiffel Tower turns 130 Big way to attract tourism QUICK QUIZ

1. What happened on July 28, 1923?

2. What is the name of the Sydney suburb named after Norman Selfe?

3. What is a cantilever bridge?

4. What does it mean to say something is novel?

5. Name two US bridges mentioned in the story.

LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Pick the winner!
Look at the different designs for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Rank them, in order, from number one being the best to number six being the worst design. Write sentences for each bridge explaining your choice. Your sentences must be as detailed as possible.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Design and Technologies

2. Extension
What makes a good bridge? List all of the things that you think a bridge designer or builder has to include or think about when they are designing a bridge.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Design and Technologies

VCOP ACTIVITY
After reading the article, with a partner, highlight as many connectives as you can find in pink. Discuss if these are being used as conjunctions, or to join ideas and create flow.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Which bridge design do you like best? Why?
No one-word answers. Use full sentences to explain your thinking. No comments will be published until approved by editors.

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Almost 100 years since work began to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we consider whether the judges chose the right design

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It is 96 years since one of Australia's greatest landmarks - the Sydney Harbour Bridge - began to take shape. But for 23 years before construction officially started on July 28, 1923, people were trying to make up their minds what the skyline-defining structure should look like.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge, 1930

Connecting the city

Sydney Harbour is one of the finest natural harbours in the world. As Sydney expanded in the 1800s, so did the need for a bridge to connect the city and the north shore.

Three design competitions were held from 1900 to 1903, then the project was abandoned. In 1922, the government committed to build an arch-type bridge. In 1924, United Kingdom firm Dorman Long and Co was appointed and work began with the demolition of hundreds of buildings to make way for the bridge and its approach roads.

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Sydney Harbour is one of the finest natural harbours in the world. As Sydney expanded in the 1800s, so did the need for a bridge to connect the city and the north shore. Three design competitions were held from 1900 to 1903, then the project was abandoned.

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a comprehensive suite of e-learning resources designed for all ages and abilities with articles

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A comprehensive suite of e-learning resources designed for all ages and abilities with articles, videos, educator tools, eBooks, research guides and more.

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as an iconic image of Sydney, and of Australia itself. Nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design, the bridge carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Under the direction of John Bradfield of the New South Wales Department of Public Works, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long of Middlesbrough, and opened in 1932. The bridge's general design, which Bradfield tasked the NSW Department of Public Works with producing, was a rough copy of the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. The design chosen from the tender responses was original work created by Dorman Long, who leveraged some of the design from its own Tyne Bridge.

It is the tenth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

Sydney Harbour from the north-east with the Opera House, CBD, Circular Quay, the Bridge, the Parramatta River, North Sydney and Kirribilli in the foreground

The southern end of the bridge is located at Dawes Point in The Rocks area, and the northern end at Milsons Point on the lower North Shore. There are six original lanes of road traffic through the main roadway, plus an additional two lanes of road traffic on its eastern side, using lanes that were formerly tram tracks. Adjacent to the road traffic, a path for pedestrian use runs along the eastern side of the bridge, whilst a dedicated path for bicycle use runs along the western side. Between the main roadway and the western bicycle path lies the North Shore railway line.

The arch is composed of two 28-panel arch trusses; their heights vary from 18 m (59 ft) at the centre of the arch, to 57 m (187 ft) at the ends next to the pylons.

The arch has a span of 504 m (1,654 ft), and its summit is 134 m (440 ft) above mean sea level; expansion of the steel structure on hot days can increase the height of the arch by 18 cm (7.1 in).

The total weight of the steelwork of the bridge, including the arch and approach spans, is 52,800 tonnes (52,000 long tons; 58,200 short tons), with the arch itself weighing 39,000 tonnes (38,000 long tons; 43,000 short tons). About 79% of the steel, specifically those technical sections constituting the curve of the arch, was imported pre-formed from England, with the rest being sourced from the Newcastle Steelworks. On site, Dorman Long & Co set up two workshops at Milsons Point, at the site of the present day Luna Park, and fabricated the steel into the girders and other required parts.

The bridge is held together by six million Australian-made hand-driven rivets supplied by the McPherson company of Melbourne, the last being driven through the deck on 21 January 1932. The rivets were heated red-hot and inserted into the plates; the headless end was immediately rounded over with a large pneumatic rivet gun. The largest of the rivets used weighed 3.5 kg (8 lb) and was 39.5 cm (15.6 in) long. The practice of riveting large steel structures, rather than welding, was, at the time, a proven and understood construction technique, whilst structural welding had not at that stage been adequately developed for use on the bridge.

At each end of the arch stands a pair of 89-metre-high (292 ft) concrete pylons, faced with granite. The pylons were designed by the Scottish architect Thomas S. Tait, a partner in the architectural firm John Burnet & Partners.

Some 250 Australian, Scottish, and Italian stonemasons and their families relocated to a temporary settlement at Moruya, 300 km (186 mi) south of Sydney, where they quarried around 18,000 m ³ (635,664 cu ft) of granite for the bridge pylons. The stonemasons cut, dressed, and numbered the blocks, which were then transported to Sydney on three ships built specifically for this purpose. The Moruya quarry was managed by John Gilmore, a Scottish stonemason who emigrated with his young family to Australia in 1924, at the request of the project managers. The concrete used was also Australian-made and supplied from Kandos.

Although originally added to the bridge solely for their aesthetic value, all four pylons have now been put to use. The south-eastern pylon contains a museum and tourist centre, with a 360° lookout at the top providing views across the harbour and city. The south-western pylon is used by Transport for NSW to support its CCTV cameras overlooking the bridge and the roads around that area. The two pylons on the north shore include venting chimneys for fumes from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, with the base of the southern pylon containing the Transport for NSW maintenance shed for the bridge, and the base of the northern pylon containing the traffic management shed for tow trucks and safety vehicles used on the bridge.

In 1942, the pylons were modified to include parapets and anti-aircraft guns designed to assist in both Australia's defence and general war effort.

Three-span bridge linking Millers Point with Balls Head and Balmain, proposed by Ernest Stowe in 1922

There had been plans to build a bridge as early as 1814, when convict and noted architect Francis Greenway reputedly proposed to Governor Lachlan Macquarie that a bridge be built from the northern to the southern shore of the harbour. In 1825, Greenway wrote a letter to the then " The Australian" newspaper stating that such a bridge would "give an idea of strength and magnificence that would reflect credit and glory on the colony and the Mother Country".

In 1900, the Lyne government committed to building a new Central railway station and organised a worldwide competition for the design and construction of a harbour bridge, overseen by Minister for Public Works Edward William O'Sullivan. G.E.W. Cruttwell, a London-based engineer, was awarded the first prize of £1,000. Local engineer Norman Selfe submitted a design for a suspension bridge and won the second prize of £500. In 1902, when the outcome of the first competition became mired in controversy, Selfe won a second competition outright, with a design for a steel cantilever bridge. The selection board were unanimous, commenting that, "The structural lines are correct and in true proportion, and... the outline is graceful". However due to an economic downturn and a change of government at the 1904 NSW State election construction never began.

A unique three-span bridge was proposed in 1922 by Ernest Stowe with connections at Balls Head, Millers Point, and Balmain with a memorial tower and hub on Goat Island.

In 1914, John Bradfield was appointed Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction, and his work on the project over many years earned him the legacy as the father of the bridge. Bradfield's preference at the time was for a cantilever bridge without piers, and in 1916 the NSW Legislative Assembly passed a bill for such a construction, however it did not proceed as the Legislative Council rejected the legislation on the basis that the money would be better spent on the war effort.

Following World War I, plans to build the bridge again built momentum. Bradfield persevered with the project, fleshing out the details of the specifications and financing for his cantilever bridge proposal, and in 1921 he travelled overseas to investigate tenders. His confidential secretary Kathleen M. Butler handled all the international correspondence during his absence, her title belying her role as a technical adviser. On return from his travels Bradfield decided that an arch design would also be suitable and he and officers of the NSW Department of Public Works prepared a general design for a single-arch bridge based upon New York City's Hell Gate Bridge. In 1922 the government passed the Sydney Harbour Bridge Act No. 28, specifying the construction of a high-level cantilever or arch bridge across the harbour between Dawes Point and Milsons Point, along with construction of necessary approaches and electric railway lines, and worldwide tenders were invited for the project.

Norman Selfe's winning design at the second competition c. 1903

As a result of the tendering process, the government received twenty proposals from six companies; on 24 March 1924 the contract was awarded to Dorman Long & Co of Middlesbrough, England well known as the contractors who later built the similar Tyne Bridge in Newcastle Upon Tyne, for an arch bridge at a quoted price of AU£4,217,721 11s 10d. The arch design was cheaper than alternative cantilever and suspension bridge proposals, and also provided greater rigidity making it better suited for the heavy loads expected. In 1924, Kathleen Butler travelled to London to set up the project office within those of Dorman, Long & Co., "attending the most difficult and technical questions and technical questions in regard to the contract, and dealing with a mass of correspondence".

Bradfield and his staff were ultimately to oversee the bridge design and building process as it was executed by Dorman Long and Co, whose Consulting Engineer, Sir Ralph Freeman of Sir Douglas Fox and Partners, and his associate Georges Imbault, carried out the detailed design and erection process of the bridge. Architects for the contractors were from the British firm John Burnet & Partners of Glasgow, Scotland. Lawrence Ennis, of Dorman Long, served as Director of Construction and primary onsite supervisor throughout the entire build, alongside Edward Judge, Dorman Long's Chief Technical Engineer, who functioned as Consulting and Designing Engineer.

The building of the bridge coincided with the construction of a system of underground railways beneath Sydney's CBD, known today as the City Circle, and the bridge was designed with this in mind. The bridge was designed to carry six lanes of road traffic, flanked on each side by two railway tracks and a footpath. Both sets of rail tracks were linked into the underground Wynyard railway station on the south (city) side of the bridge by symmetrical ramps and tunnels. The eastern-side railway tracks were intended for use by a planned rail link to the Northern Beaches; in the interim they were used to carry trams from the North Shore into a terminal within Wynyard station, and when tram services were discontinued in 1958, they were converted into extra traffic lanes. The Bradfield Highway, which is the main roadway section of the bridge and its approaches, is named in honour of Bradfield's contribution to the bridge.

HMAS Canberra sailing under the completed arch from which the deck is being suspended in 1930

Bradfield visited the site sporadically throughout the eight years it took Dorman Long to complete the bridge. Despite having originally championed a cantilever construction and the fact that his own arched general design was used in neither the tender process nor as input to the detailed design specification (and was anyway a rough copy of the Devil's Gate bridge produced by the NSW Works Department), Bradfield subsequently attempted to claim personal credit for Dorman Long's design. This led to a bitter argument, with Dorman Long maintaining that instructing other people to produce a copy of an existing design in a document not subsequently used to specify the final construction did not constitute personal design input on Bradfield's part. This friction ultimately led to a large contemporary brass plaque being bolted very tightly to the side of one of the granite columns of the bridge to makes things clear.

An estimated 469 buildings on the north shore, both private homes and commercial operations, were demolished to allow construction to proceed, with little or no compensation being paid. Work on the bridge itself commenced with the construction of approaches and approach spans, and by September 1926 concrete piers to support the approach spans were in place on each side of the harbour.

Once work had progressed sufficiently on the support structures, a giant creeper crane was erected on each side of the harbour. These cranes were fitted with a cradle, and then used to hoist men and materials into position to allow for erection of the steelwork. To stabilise works while building the arches, tunnels were excavated on each shore with steel cables passed through them and then fixed to the upper sections of each half-arch to stop them collapsing as they extended outwards.

Arch construction itself began on 26 October 1928. The southern end of the bridge was worked on ahead of the northern end, to detect any errors and to help with alignment. The cranes would "creep" along the arches as they were constructed, eventually meeting up in the middle. In less than two years, on 19 August 1930, the two halves of the arch touched for the first time. Workers riveted both top and bottom sections of the arch together, and the arch became self-supporting, allowing the support cables to be removed. On 20 August 1930 the joining of the arches was celebrated by flying the flags of Australia and the United Kingdom from the jibs of the creeper cranes.

Grace Cossington Smith's painting of the arch under construction.

John Bradfield riding the first test train across the bridge on 19 January 1932

Once the arch was completed, the creeper cranes were then worked back down the arches, allowing the roadway and other parts of the bridge to be constructed from the centre out. The vertical hangers were attached to the arch, and these were then joined with horizontal crossbeams. The deck for the roadway and railway were built on top of the crossbeams, with the deck itself being completed by June 1931, and the creeper cranes were dismantled. Rails for trains and trams were laid, and road was surfaced using concrete topped with asphalt. Power and telephone lines, and water, gas, and drainage pipes were also all added to the bridge in 1931.

The pylons were built atop the abutment towers, with construction advancing rapidly from July 1931. Carpenters built wooden scaffolding, with concreters and masons then setting the masonry and pouring the concrete behind it. Gangers built the steelwork in the towers, while day labourers manually cleaned the granite with wire brushes. The last stone of the north-west pylon was set in place on 15 January 1932, and the timber towers used to support the cranes were removed.

On 19 January 1932, the first test train, a steam locomotive, safely crossed the bridge. Load testing of the bridge took place in February 1932, with the four rail tracks being loaded with as many as 96 New South Wales Government Railways steam locomotives positioned end-to-end. The bridge underwent testing for three weeks, after which it was declared safe and ready to be opened. The construction worksheds were demolished after the bridge was completed, and the land that they were on is now occupied by Luna Park.

The standards of industrial safety during construction were poor by today's standards. Sixteen workers died during construction, but surprisingly only two from falling off the bridge. Several more were injured from unsafe working practices undertaken whilst heating and inserting its rivets, and the deafness experienced by many of the workers in later years was blamed on the project. Henri Mallard between 1930 and 1932 produced hundreds of stills and film footage which reveal at close quarters the bravery of the workers in tough Depression-era conditions.

Interviews were conducted between 1982-1989 with a variety of tradesmen who worked on the building of the bridge. Among the tradesmen interviewed were drillers, riveters, concrete packers, boilermakers, riggers, ironworkers, plasterers, stonemasons, an official photographer, sleepcutters, engineers and draughtsmen.

The bridge was formally opened on Saturday, 19 March 1932. Among those who attended and gave speeches were the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Philip Game, and the Minister for Public Works, Lawrence Ennis. The Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, was to open the bridge by cutting a ribbon at its southern end.

Francis de Groot cutting the ribbon at the official opening of the Bridge, 19 March 1932

However, just as Lang was about to cut the ribbon, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse, slashing the ribbon with his sword and opening the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the name of the people of New South Wales before the official ceremony began. He was promptly arrested. The ribbon was hurriedly retied and Lang performed the official opening ceremony and Game thereafter inaugurated the name of the bridge as Sydney Harbour Bridge and the associated roadway as the Bradfield Highway. After they did so, there was a 21-gun salute and an Royal Australian Air Force flypast. The intruder was identified as Francis de Groot. He was convicted of offensive behaviour and fined £5 after a psychiatric test proved he was sane, but this verdict was reversed on appeal. De Groot then successfully sued the Commissioner of Police for wrongful arrest and was awarded an undisclosed out of court settlement. De Groot was a member of a right-wing paramilitary group called the New Guard, opposed to Lang's leftist policies and resentful of the fact that a member of the British royal family had not been asked to open the bridge. De Groot was not a member of the regular army but his uniform allowed him to blend in with the real cavalry. This incident was one of several involving Lang and the New Guard during that year.

A similar ribbon-cutting ceremony on the bridge's northern side by North Sydney's mayor, Alderman Primrose, was carried out without incident. It was later discovered that Primrose was also a New Guard member but his role in and knowledge of the de Groot incident, if any, are unclear. The pair of golden scissors used in the ribbon cutting ceremonies on both sides of the bridge was also used to cut the ribbon at the dedication of the Bayonne Bridge, which had opened between Bayonne, New Jersey, and New York City the year before.

Despite the bridge opening in the midst of the Great Depression, opening celebrations were organised by the Citizens of Sydney Organising Committee, an influential body of prominent men and politicians that formed in 1931 under the chairmanship of the lord mayor to oversee the festivities. The celebrations included an array of decorated floats, a procession of passenger ships sailing below the bridge, and a Venetian Carnival. A message from a primary school in Tottenham, 515 km (320 mi) away in rural New South Wales, arrived at the bridge on the day and was presented at the opening ceremony. It had been carried all the way from Tottenham to the bridge by relays of school children, with the final relay being run by two children from the nearby Fort Street Boys' and Girls' schools. After the official ceremonies, the public was allowed to walk across the bridge on the deck, something that would not be repeated until the 50th anniversary celebrations. Estimates suggest that between 300,000 and one million people took part in the opening festivities, a phenomenal number given that the entire population of Sydney at the time was estimated to be 1,256,000.

There had also been numerous preparatory arrangements. On 14 March 1932, three postage stamps were issued to commemorate the imminent opening of the bridge. Several songs were composed for the occasion. In the year of the opening, there was a steep rise in babies being named Archie and Bridget in honour of the bridge. One of three microphones used at the opening ceremony was signed by 10 local dignitaries who officiated at the event, Philip Game, John Lang, MA Davidson, Samuel Walder, D Clyne, H Primrose, Ben Howe, John Bradfield, Lawrence Ennis and Roland Kitson. It was supplied by Amalgamated Wireless Australasia, who organised the ceremony's broadcast and collected by Philip Geeves, the AWA announcer on the day. The radio is now in the collection of the Powerhouse Museum.

In 2010, the average daily traffic included 204 trains, 160,435 vehicles and 1650 bicycles.

From the Sydney CBD side, motor vehicle access to the bridge is via Grosvenor Street, Clarence Street, Kent Street, the Cahill Expressway, or the Western Distributor. Drivers on the northern side will find themselves on the Warringah Freeway, though it is easy to turn off the freeway to drive westwards into North Sydney or eastwards to Neutral Bay and beyond upon arrival on the northern side.

The bridge originally only had four wider traffic lanes occupying the central space which now has six, as photos taken soon after the opening clearly show. In 1958 tram services across the bridge were withdrawn and the tracks replaced by two extra road lanes; these lanes are now the leftmost southbound lanes on the bridge and are separated from the other six road lanes by a median strip. Lanes 7 and 8 now connect the bridge to the elevated Cahill Expressway that carries traffic to the Eastern Distributor.

In 1988, work began to build a tunnel to complement the bridge. It was determined that the bridge could no longer support the increased traffic flow of the 1980s. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel was completed in August 1992 and carries only motor vehicles.

The bridge has a series of overhead gantries which indicate the direction of flow for each traffic lane. A green arrow pointing down to a traffic lane means the lane is open. A flashing red "X" indicates the lane is closing, but is not yet in use for traffic travelling in the other direction. A static red "X" means the lane is in use for oncoming traffic. This arrangement was introduced in January 1986, replacing a slow operation where lane markers were manually moved to mark the centre median.

It is possible to see odd arrangements of flow during night periods when maintenance occurs, which may involve completely closing some lanes. Normally this is done between midnight and dawn, because of the enormous traffic demands placed on the bridge outside these hours.

The vehicular traffic lanes on the bridge are operated as a toll road. Since January 2009, there is a variable tolling system for all vehicles headed into the CBD (southbound). The toll paid is dependent on the time of day in which the vehicle passes through the toll plaza. The toll varies from a minimum value of $2.50 to a maximum value of $4. There is no toll for northbound traffic (though taxis travelling north may charge passengers the toll in anticipation of the toll the taxi must pay on the return journey). In 2017, the Bradfield Highway northern toll plaza infrastructure was removed and replaced with new overhead gantries to service all southbound traffic. Following on from this upgrade, in 2018 all southern toll plaza infrastructure was also removed. Only the Cahill Expressway toll plaza infrastructure remains. The toll was originally placed on travel across the bridge, in both directions, to recoup the cost of its construction. This was paid off in 1988, but the toll has been kept (indeed increased) to recoup the costs of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

Originally it cost a car or motorcycle six pence to cross, a horse and rider being three pence. Use of the bridge by bicycle riders (provided that they use the cycleway) and by pedestrians is free. Later governments capped the fee for motorcycles at one-quarter of the passenger-vehicle cost, but now it is again the same as the cost for a passenger vehicle, although quarterly flat-fee passes are available which are much cheaper for frequent users. Originally there were six toll booths at the southern end of the bridge, these were replaced by 16 booths in 1950. The toll was charged in both directions until 4 July 1970 when changed to only be applied to southbound traffic.

After the decision to build the Sydney Harbour Tunnel was made in the early 1980s, the toll was increased (from 20 cents to $1, then to $1.50 in March 1989, and finally to $2 by the time the tunnel opened) to pay for its construction. The tunnel also had an initial toll of $2 southbound. After the increase to $1, a concrete barrier on the bridge separating the Bradfield Highway from the Cahill Expressway was increased in height, because of the large numbers of drivers crossing it illegally from lane 6 to 7, to avoid the toll.

The southbound toll was increased to $2.20 in July 2000 to account for the newly imposed goods and services tax (GST). The toll increased again to $3 in January 2002.

In July 2008, a new electronic tolling system called e-TAG was introduced. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel was converted to this new tolling system while the Sydney Harbour Bridge itself had several cash lanes. The electronic system as of 12 January 2009 has now replaced all booths with E-tag lanes. In January 2017 work commenced to remove the southern toll booths. In August 2020, the remaining toll booths at Milsons Point were removed. Tolls rose in October 2023 for the first time in 14 years.

The pedestrian-only footway is located on the east side of the bridge. Access from the northern side involves climbing an easily spotted flight of stairs, located on the east side of the bridge at Broughton Street, Kirribilli. Pedestrian access on the southern side is more complicated, but signposts in The Rocks area now direct pedestrians to the long and sheltered flight of stairs that leads to the bridge's southern end. These stairs are located near Gloucester Street and Cumberland Street.

The bike-only cycleway is located on the western side of the bridge. Access from the northern side involves carrying or pushing a bicycle up a staircase, consisting of 55 steps, located on the western side of the bridge at Burton Street, Milsons Point. A wide smooth concrete strip in the centre of the stairs permits cycles to be wheeled up and down from the bridge deck whilst the rider is dismounted. A campaign to eliminate the steps on this popular cycling route to the CBD has been running since at least 2008. On 7 December 2016 the NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay confirmed that the northern stairway would be replaced with a A$20 million ramp alleviating the needs for cyclists to dismount. At the same time the NSW Government announced plans to upgrade the southern ramp at a projected cost of A$20 million. Both projects are expected to be completed by late 2020. Access to the cycleway on the southern side is via the northern end of the Kent Street cycleway and/or Upper Fort Street in The Rocks.

Crossing over the bridge from North Sydney railway station to Wynyard railway station

The bridge lies between Milsons Point and Wynyard railway stations, located on the north and south shores respectively, with two tracks running along the western side of the bridge. These tracks are part of the North Shore railway line.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge requires constant inspections and other maintenance work to keep it safe for the public, and to protect from corrosion. Among the trades employed on the bridge are painters, ironworkers, boilermakers, fitters, electricians, plasterers, carpenters, plumbers, and riggers.

The most noticeable maintenance work on the bridge involves painting. The steelwork of the bridge that needs to be painted is a combined 485,000 m ² (120 acres), the equivalent of sixty football fields. Each coat on the bridge requires some 30,000 L (6,600 imp gal) of paint. A special fast-drying paint is used, so that any paint drops have dried before reaching the vehicles or bridge surface. One notable identity from previous bridge-painting crews is Australian comedian and actor Paul Hogan, who worked as a bridge rigger before rising to media fame in the 1970s.

In 2003 the Roads & Traffic Authority began completely repainting the southern approach spans of the bridge. This involved removing the old lead-based paint, and repainting the 90,000 m ² (22 acres) of steel below the deck. Workers operated from self-contained platforms below the deck, with each platform having an air extraction system to filter airborne particles. An abrasive blasting was used, with the lead waste collected and safely removed from the site for disposal.

Between December 2006 and March 2010 the bridge was subject to works designed to ensure its longevity. The work included some strengthening.

Since 2013, two grit-blasting robots specially developed with the University of Technology, Sydney have been employed to help with the paint stripping operation on the bridge. The robots, nicknamed Rosie and Sandy, are intended to reduce workers' potential exposure to dangerous lead paint and asbestos and the blasting equipment which has enough force to cut through clothes and skin.

Stan Giddings, maintenance worker painting Sydney Harbour Bridge, 1945, by Alec Iverson

Maintenance crew painting the bridge

Bridge arch after strengthening, with some new steel outlined in red

Historic tourist signs for the pylon lookout, from Rentoul's 'All Australian Exhibition', 1948 - 1971

Not long after the bridge's opening, commencing in 1934, Archer Whitford first converted this pylon into a tourist destination. He installed a number of attractions, including a café, a camera obscura, an Aboriginal museum, a "Mother's Nook" where visitors could write letters, and a "pashometer". The main attraction was the viewing platform, where "charming attendants" assisted visitors to use the telescopes available, and a copper cladding (still present) over the granite guard rails identified the suburbs and landmarks of Sydney at the time.

In 1948, Yvonne Rentoul opened the "All Australian Exhibition" in the pylon. This contained dioramas, and displays about Australian perspectives on subjects such as farming, sport, transport, mining, and the armed forces. An orientation table was installed at the viewing platform, along with a wall guide and binoculars. The owner kept several white cats in a rooftop cattery, which also served as an attraction, and there was a souvenir shop and postal outlet. Rentoul's lease expired in 1971, and the pylon and its lookout remained closed to the public for over a decade.

The pylon was reopened in 1982, with a new exhibition celebrating the bridge's 50th anniversary. In 1987 a "Bicentennial Exhibition" was opened to mark the 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia in 1988.

The pylon was closed from April to November 2000 for the Roads & Traffic Authority and BridgeClimb to create a new exhibition called "Proud Arch". The exhibition focussed on Bradfield, and included a glass direction finder on the observation level, and various important heritage items.

In the 1950s and 1960s, there were occasional newspaper reports of climbers who had made illegal arch traversals of the bridge by night. In 1973 Philippe Petit walked across a wire between the two pylons at the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Since 1998, BridgeClimb has made it possible for tourists to legally climb the southern half of the bridge. Tours run throughout the day, from dawn to night, and are only cancelled for electrical storms or high wind.

Groups of climbers are provided with protective clothing appropriate to the prevailing weather conditions, and are given an orientation briefing before climbing. During the climb, attendees are secured to the bridge by a wire lifeline. Each climb begins on the eastern side of the bridge and ascends to the top. At the summit, the group crosses to the western side of the arch for the descent. Each climb takes three-and-a-half-hours, including the preparations.

In December 2006, BridgeClimb launched an alternative to climbing the upper arches of the bridge. The Discovery Climb allows climbers to ascend the lower chord of the bridge and view its internal structure. From the apex of the lower chord, climbers ascend a staircase to a platform at the summit.

Since the opening, the bridge has been the focal point of much tourism, national pride and even protests

In 1982, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the bridge was celebrated. For the first time since its opening in 1932, the bridge was closed to most vehicles with the exception of vintage vehicles, and pedestrians were allowed full access for the day. The celebrations were attended by Edward Judge, who represented Dorman Long.

Australia's bicentennial celebrations on 26 January 1988 attracted large crowds in the bridge's vicinity as merrymakers flocked to the foreshores to view the events on the harbour. The highlight was the biggest parade of sail ever held in Sydney, square-riggers from all over the world, surrounded by hundreds of smaller craft of every description, passing majestically under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The day's festivities culminated in a fireworks display in which the bridge was the focal point of the finale, with fireworks streaming from the arch and roadway. This was to become the pattern for later firework displays.

Sydney New Year's Eve

The Harbour Bridge has been an integral part of the Sydney New Year's Eve celebrations, generally being used in spectacular ways during the fireworks displays at 9pm and midnight. In recent times, the bridge has included a ropelight display on a framework in the centre of the eastern arch, which is used to complement the fireworks. The scaffolding and framework were clearly visible for some weeks before the event, revealing the outline of the design.

The effects have been as follows:

The opening sequence to the 2008-09 Midnight Fireworks, using the Sun for its bridge effect.

The numbers for the New Year's Eve countdown also appear on the eastern side of the Bridge pylons.

In 2007, the 75th anniversary of its opening was commemorated with an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney, called "Bridging Sydney". An initiative of the Historic Houses Trust, the exhibition featured dramatic photographs and paintings with rare and previously unseen alternative bridge and tunnel proposals, plans and sketches.

On 18 March 2007, the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was celebrated. The occasion was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the governor, Marie Bashir and the Premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma. The bridge was subsequently open to the public to walk southward from Milsons Point or North Sydney. Several major roads, mainly in the CBD, were closed for the day. An Aboriginal smoking ceremony was held at 7:00pm.

Approximately 250,000 people (50,000 more than were registered) took part in the event. Bright green souvenir caps were distributed to walkers. A series of speakers placed at intervals along the bridge formed a sound installation. Each group of speakers broadcast sound and music from a particular era (e.g. King Edward VIII's abdication speech; Gough Whitlam's speech at Parliament House in 1975), the overall effect being that the soundscape would "flow" through history as walkers proceeded along the bridge. A light-show began after sunset and continued late into the night, the bridge being bathed in constantly changing, multi-coloured lighting, designed to highlight structural features of the bridge. In the evening the bright yellow caps were replaced by orange caps with a small, bright LED attached. The bridge was closed to walkers at about 8:30pm.

On 25 October 2009 turf was laid across the eight lanes of bitumen, and 6,000 people celebrated a picnic on the bridge accompanied by live music. The event was repeated in 2010. Although originally scheduled again in 2011, this event was moved to Bondi Beach due to traffic concerns about the prolonged closing of the bridge.

On 19 March 2012, the 80th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was celebrated with a picnic dedicated to the stories of people with personal connections to the bridge. In addition, Google dedicated its Google Doodle on the 19th to the event. The proposal to upgrade the bridge tolling equipment was announced by the NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay.

Historically the flags of Australia and New South Wales had been flown above the bridge with the Aboriginal flag flown for nineteen days a year. In February 2022, Premier Dominic Perrottet announced that the Australian, New South Wales and the Aboriginal flags were to permanently fly with a third pole erected. In July 2022, it was announced that the Aboriginal flag would replace the New South Wales flag, which was given a prominent location within the Macquarie Street East redevelopment, near the Royal Mint and Hyde Park Barracks.

There the proud arch Colossus like bestride
Yon glittering streams and bound the strafing tide.

-  Prophetic observation of Sydney Cove by Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin, from his poem "Visit of Hope to Sydney Cove, near Botany Bay", (1789).

I open this bridge in the name of His Majesty the King and all the decent citizens of NSW.

-  Francis de Groot "opening" the Sydney Harbour Bridge, (1932). His organisation, the New Guard, had resented the fact that King George V had not been asked to open the bridge.

To get on in Australia, you must make two observations. Say, "You have the most beautiful bridge in the world" and "They tell me you trounced England again in the cricket." The first statement will be a lie. Sydney Bridge [sic] is big, utilitarian and the symbol of Australia, like the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower. But it is very ugly. No Australian will admit this.

...in a gesture of anomalous exhilaration, at the worst time of the depression Sydney opened its Harbour Bridge, one of the talismanic structures of the earth, and by far the most striking thing ever built in Australia. At that moment, I think, contemporary Sydney began, perhaps definitive Sydney.

- Jan Morris gives her own assessment of the bridge in her book Sydney, (1982)

...you can see it from every corner of the city, creeping into frame from the oddest angles, like an uncle who wants to get into every snapshot. From a distance it has a kind of gallant restraint, majestic but not assertive, but up close it is all might. It soars above you, so high that you could pass a ten-storey building beneath it, and looks like the heaviest thing on earth. Everything that is in it - the stone blocks in its four towers, the latticework of girders, the metal plates, the six-million rivets (with heads like halved apples) - is the biggest of its type you have ever seen... This is a great bridge.

At the time of construction and until recently, the bridge was the longest single span steel arch bridge in the world. The bridge, its pylons and its approaches are all important elements in townscape of areas both near and distant from it. The curved northern approach gives a grand sweeping entrance to the bridge with continually changing views of the bridge and harbour. The bridge has been an important factor in the pattern of growth of metropolitan Sydney, particularly in residential development in post World War II years. In the 1960s and 1970s the Central Business District had extended to the northern side of the bridge at North Sydney which has been due in part to the easy access provided by the bridge and also to the increasing traffic problems associated with the bridge.

The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.

The bridge is one of the most remarkable feats of bridge construction. At the time of construction and until recently it was the longest single span steel arch bridge in the world and is still in a general sense the largest.

Bradfield Park North (Sandstone Walls)

"The archaeological remains are demonstrative of an earlier phase of urban development within Milsons Point and the wider North Sydney precinct. The walls are physical evidence that a number of 19th century residences existed on the site which were resumed and demolished as part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction".

The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The bridge, its pylons and its approaches are all important elements in townscape of areas both near and distant from it. The curved northern approach gives a grand sweeping entrance to the bridge with continually changing views of the bridge and harbour.

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The bridge has been an important factor in the pattern of growth of metropolitan Sydney, particularly in residential development in post World War II years. In the 1960s and 1970s the Central Business District had extended to the northern side of the bridge at North Sydney which has been due in part to the easy access provided by the bridge and also to the increasing traffic problems associated with the bridge.

The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

Bradfield Park North (Sandstone Walls)

"The archaeological remains have some potential to yield information about the previous residential and commercial occupation of Milsons Point prior to the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge transport link".

1. ^ "Port Mann Bridge". Transportation Investment Corporation. British Columbia: Province of British Columbia. 2007. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Once complete, the new 10-lane Port Mann Bridge will the second largest and longest cable-supported bridge in North America, and at 65 metres wide it will be the widest bridge in the world.

2. ^ Sydney Harbour Bridge. Dorman, Long & Co. 1932. p. 13.

3. ^ C. Mackaness, ed. (2007). Bridging Sydney. Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales.

4. ^ Smiles, Sam (1998). Going modern and being British: 1910-1960. Intellect Books. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-871516-95-1.

5. ^ Lalor, Peter (2006) [2005]. The bridge. Allen & Unwin. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-74175-027-0.

6. ^ "1942-1945 (WWII)" (PDF). The Pylon Lookout. 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 March 2018.

7. ^ "A Short History of the Sydney Harbour Bridge" (PDF). Transport NSW. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 March 2022.

8. ^ Arthur, Ian (2001). Norman Selfe, Man of the North Shore. unpublished essay submitted for the North Shore History Prize. pp. 21-24. Cited in

9. ^ "International Woman Suffrage News". 5 December 1924 - via British Newspaper Archive.

10. ^ "Sydney Harbour Bridge repainting" (PDF). Roads & Traffic Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2012.

11. ^ "The Vote". 10 October 1924 - via British Newspaper Archive.

12. ^ Lalor, Peter (2006). The bridge : an epic story of an Australian icon - the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-74176-069-9. OCLC 86108534.

13. ^ Nicholson, John (2001). Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge (Google books). Allen & Unwin. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-86508-258-5. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. There was one creeper crane on each side of the harbour.

14. Henri Mallard (photographer); introduced by Max Dupain and Howard Tanner. "Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge". Melbourne: Sun Books in association with Australian Centre for Photography, 1976. ^ ISBN 0-7251-0232-2

15. ^ Wendy Lewis, Simon Balderstone and John Bowan (2006). Events That Shaped Australia. New Holland Publishers. pp. 140-142. ISBN 978-1-74110-492-9.

16. ^ Tomalin, Terry (26 September 2000). "View won't leave you speechless; Series: Out there; Summer Olympics: Sydney 2000". St Petersburg Times. No. South Pinellas Edition. St. Petersburg, FL. p. 7C.

17. ^ Don't we own the Bridge yet? The Daily Telegraph 15 June 2009

18. ^ Sydney Harbour Bridge Tolling (PDF). Roads & Traffic Authority. March 2011. ISBN 9781921899126. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2023.

19. ^ Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel tolls to rise Transport for NSW 23 September 2023

20. ^ "Sydney Harbour Bridge Upgrade" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2015.

21. ^

22. ^ Reid, Carlton (2017). Bike Boom. doi:10.5822/978-1-61091-817-6. ISBN 978-1-61091-872-5. S2CID 159268848. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023.

23. ^ "World atlas of street art and graffiti". Choice Reviews Online. 51 (7): 51-3581. 2014. ISSN 0009-4978. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023.

24. ^ Bridging Sydney Historic Houses Trust, New South Wales

25. ^ "Sydney Harbour Bridge 80th Birthday". Roads & Traffic Authority. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.

26. ^ Bryson, Bill (2000). Down Under. Transworld. pp. 80-81. ISBN 0-552-99703-X.

27. ^ Walker and Kerr, 1974.

28. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.

29. Statement of Heritage Impact - Sandstone Walls: Bradfield Park North, Milsons Point (2003: 8)

30. McFadyen and Stuart, HLA Envirosciences

This Wikipedia article contains material from Sydney Harbour Bridge, approaches and viaducts (road and rail), entry number 781 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 13 October 2018.

Sydney Harbour Bridge at Structurae

Sydney City Council

"Sydney Harbour Bridge". Dictionary of Sydney. [CC-By-SA]. Features 'Sydney Harbour Bridge' by Jim Poe, 2014 and 'Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge' by Laila Ellmoos and Lisa Murray, 2015, with images.

BridgeClimb

Sydney Harbour Bridge turns 75 - Feature from Daily Telegraph

Men at work: Sydney's Harbour Bridge - Australian Geographic Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine

75th Anniversary Celebrations Archived 31 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine

NSW Bike Plan - Bicycle Information for New South Wales

Sydney Harbour Bridge Archived 26 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine - News and Events

Description of SHB project in 1924 newspaper, including statistics and dimensions.

Account of an illegal bridge climb in 1961

Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "Sydney Harbour Bridge", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 1195-1208 illustrated account of the construction and completion of the bridge

Railway loading gauge

Railway loading gauge discussion

"Richard Raxworthy - interviews, 1982-1989, with Sydney Harbour Bridge builders, relating experiences 1923-1932". Amplify - State Library of New South Wales.

Webcams:

Images:

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as an iconic image of Sydney, and of Australia itself.

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge is perhaps the image most synomous with Sydney, Australia. → More pictures below

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Sydney's two most famous landmarks, the other being the Opera House.

Completed in 1932, the construction of the bridge - known locally as "The coathanger" - was an economic feat as well as an engineering triumph. Prior to the bridge being built, the only links between the city centre in the south and the residential north were by ferry or by a 20 kilometre (12½ mile) road route that involved five bridge crossings.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is known locally as the "Coat Hanger", took eight years to build, including the railway line. The bridge was manufactured in sections on a site that is now occupied by Luna Park fun fair.

Construction on the bridge began in December, 1926. The foundations, which are 12 metres (39 feet) deep, are set in sandstone. Anchoring tunnels are 36 metres (118 feet) long and dug into rock at each end. Construction on the arch began in November, 1929. It was built in halves with steel cable restraints initially supporting each side. The arch spans 503 metres (1650 feet) and supports the weight of the bridge deck, with hinges at either end bearing the bridge's full weight and spreading the load to the foundations. The hinges allow the structure to move as the steel expands and contracts in response to wind and changes in temperatures.

By October, 1930, the two arch halves had met and work then began on the deck. The deck is 59 metres (194 feet) above sea level and was built from the center out.

The Harbour Bridge was officially opened on 19 March 1932. The total cost of the Bridge was approximately 6.25 million Australian pounds ($A13.5 million), and was eventually paid off in 1988. The initial toll for a car was 6 pence (5 cents) and a horse and rider was 3 pence (2 cents). Today the toll costs $3.00. The toll is now used for bridge maintenance and to pay for the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. The annual maintenance costs are approximately $5 million. More than 150,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.

The bridge was built by 1400 workers, 16 of whom were killed in accidents during construction. Painting the bridge has become an endless task. Approximately 80,000 litres (21,000 gallons) of paint are required for each coat, enough to cover an area equivalent to 60 soccer fields. Before Paul Hogan (from the movie Crocodile Dundee) became famous, he worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a painter.

Recommended for all visitors to Sydney is the Pylon Lookout. Inside the Lookout is a fascinating display on how this bridge was built. Entry to the Pylon is from the pedestrian walkway on the Harbour Bridge. You can get to the walkway via the stairs in Cumberland Street, The Rocks, or from near Milsons Point Station on the north side. ThePylon Lookout is open every day except Christmas Day.

There is a pedestrian walkway across the eastern side of the bridge that can be freely accessed, but tall wire mesh guards are fitted along the length of the walkway as a safety and security measure, which obscures views of the harbour and makes the walkway unsuitable for scenic photography. To get good views from the bridge you either have to pay toclimb the bridge for completely uninterrupted views of the whole of Sydney harbouror else pay to go up to the top of the pylon for unrestricted views of the eastern part of the harbour.

BRIDGE PICTURES

The bridge takes on an entirely different perspective when seen from Observatory Hill, which is accessed from The Rocks.

The bridge and Luna Park seen from the shores of Lavender Bay. The Australia artist Brett Whitely made Lavender Bay famous through a series of stunning paintings.

A ferry departs for Circular Quay, having just dropped passengers off at the Milsons Point wharf. You can catch a ferry to Milsons Point, walk up the stairs onto the bridge's pedestrian walkway, and walk back across the Sydney harbour Bridge to The Rocks and Circular Quay.

BRIDGE AT NIGHT

The bridge takes on different guises at night, depending on where you view it from ...

... from Milsons Point.

... from Circular Quay.

... from Observatory Hill.

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge is perhaps the image most synomous with Sydney, Australia. → More pictures below The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Sydney's two most famous landmarks, the other being the Opera House. Completed in 1932, the construction of the bridge - known locally as "The coathanger" - was an economic feat as well as an engineering triumph.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge, steel- arch bridge across Sydney Harbour ( Port Jackson), Australia. The bridge, opened in 1932, serves as the primary transportation link between Sydney and its suburbs on the northern side of the harbour. It spans about 500 metres (1,650 feet), making it one of the longest steel-arch bridges in the world. Along its length, it features four railroad tracks, a highway, and two pedestrian walkways.

In 1912 John Bradfield, a civil engineer with the New South Wales Department of Public Works, presented plans to Australia's parliament for the construction of a bridge over Sydney Harbour, with options for either a suspension bridge or a cantilever bridge design. He envisioned the structure as part of an electric railway system for Sydney and its suburbs. The year after Bradfield submitted his plans, his cantilever design was accepted, and he was appointed to lead the project. Work on the bridge was delayed by World War I, however, and it was not until 1922, with the passage of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Act, that funding for the project became available. By that time too, progress in steelmaking had made possible the construction of an arch bridge.

The building contract was awarded to the English enterprise Dorman Long & Co., which hired Sir Ralph Freeman to perform detailed design work. The final, approved plan called for a steel-arch bridge linking Dawes Point on the south with Milsons Point on the north. An arch bridge was chosen because it was less expensive than a cantilever design and capable of handling heavier loads. Construction began in 1924 under Bradfield's supervision. The deep waters of Sydney Harbour made temporary supports impractical, so the steel arch was assembled by building out from each bank. The two sides met in the middle in 1930, and the bridge was officially opened with an elaborate ceremony on March 19, 1932.

Despite Bradfield's submission of proposals for the bridge design, Freeman considered himself to be the bridge's true designer. The claim was supported by some authorities, though the controversy was never fully resolved.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge | Dimensions, Location, History, & Facts

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Sydney Harbour Bridge, steel-arch bridge across Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), Australia. The bridge, opened in 1932, serves as the primary transportation link between Sydney and its suburbs on the northern side of the harbor. It is one of the longest steel-arch bridges in the world.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world's heaviest steel arch bridge. About 53,000 tons of steel were used in its construction. Its total length is about 3,770 feet (1,149 meters), and the top of the bridge stands 440 feet (134 meters) above the harbor. It carries eight lanes of traffic and two rail lines. There is a cycleway for bikes and a walkway for pedestrians.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world's heaviest steel arch bridge. About 53,000 tons of steel were used in its construction. Its total length is about 3,770 feet (1,149 meters), and the top of the bridge stands 440 feet (134 meters) above the harbor. It carries eight lanes of traffic and two rail lines.

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It is a half-through arch bridge that connects the North Shore with Sydney central business district (CBD). Due to its unique design, it is often referred to as 'The Coathanger'. The design of this bridge was conceived by Dorman Long and Co Ltd, a British firm based in Middlesbrough. On the opening parties of the bridge, almost one million people joined in to mark the celebration. At the time, the population of Sydney was 1.256 million. In order to lessen the burden of traffic on this bridge, the Sydney Harbor Tunnel was built and completed in 1992. It was constructed for the vehicles only.

History

In 1815, the idea of constructing a bridge connecting north to the south was proposed by English-born architect Francis Greenway.

In 1840, another architect named Robert Brindley suggested for building a floating bridge.

About 1857, Peter Henderson was one of the first individuals to draw the bridge across Sydney harbor on paper.

In 1879, an idea for building a truss bridge was proposed.

At the north shore, 469 buildings had to be demolished for the bridge. No compensation was paid to those people.

The two sections of the arch met each other within less than two years in 1930. This event was marked by flying the flags of U.K. and Australia on 20 August.

In 1931, the connections for the power lines, water and drainage system were installed to this bridge.

On 15 January 1932, the last stone of the pylon at north-west was installed.

The first steam locomotive crossed the Harbour Bridge on 19 January, 1932.

During the construction of the bridge, sixteen labors died. Out of these, two workers died while going down from the bridge.

It was completed at a total cost of £6.25 million (Australian pound). The total amount was paid up to the year 1988.

At the opening of the bridge, a fleet of decorated vessels sailed below the bridge.

The toll charges for crossing the bridge vary from $2.50 to $4 depending on particular time of the day. However the vehicles that are heading north do not have to pay toll fees.

There are no charges for pedestrians and those riding bicycle.

At the 75th anniversary of Sydney Harbour Bridge in March 2007, almost 250,000 people participated. They were given bright yellow caps as souvenirs which were replaced at night with oranges ones with bright LEDs installed on them.

The Bridge Facts

Its construction was started on 28 July 1923 and completed on 19 January 1932.

It consists of six original lanes of road traffic.

The total span of arch is 504 metres (1,654 feet) and its maximum height is 134 metres (440 feet) from sea level.

The total weight of the bridge is 52,800 tonnes.

The weight of arch is 39,000 tonnes.

Almost 79 percent of the steel used for this bridge came from England while the remaining 21 percent was imported from New South Wales.

Six million rivets are used in the bridge. The largest rivet was 39.5 cm (15.6 in).

There are two pylons on both ends of the arch. Each pylon is 89 metres (292 feet) high.

Interesting Facts about Sydney Harbour Bridge

It is the world's tallest bridge made up of steel arch. Its height from sea level is 134 metres (440 ft).

Until Port Mann Bridge of Vancouver was built in 2012, it was the widest long-span bridge in the world. The width of Sydney Harbour Bridge is 48.8 metres (160 feet).

It ranks sixth longest in the world among spanning-arch bridges.

The design of this bridge was based on the Hell Gate Bridge, which is a 310-metre long steel through arch bridge in New York City.

Mark Webber drove Williams-BMW Formula One over this bridge in 2005.

The painting of steelwork is the most important maintenance task of this bridge. The size of the steel that needs painting is almost 120 acres which is equal to sixty fields of soccer.

Among the workers who painted the bridge, one of the most prominent figures was Paul Hogan, an Australian actor and comedian.

Bradfield Highway is the main roadway. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long which makes it one of the country's shortest highways.

When premier of New South Wales was about to cut the ribbon for officially opening the bridge, a man riding a horse dressed in military uniform went forward and cut the ribbon with his sword. He did so in the name of people of New South Wales. He was arrested for his effort. His name was Francis de Groot and was fined for £5.

It is allowed to herd livestock on the Bradfield Highway of this bridge which is why it is known as Travelling Stock Route. However, the timings for the movement of animals are reserved from midnight till dawn. Practically, this practice has not been undertaken for the last 50 years or so.

It is believed some workers became deaf in the latter half of their lives primarily because of unsafe conditions during construction.

During the Great Depression of 1930s, the building of Harbor Bridge was a relief for the workers because they got an employment. For that reason, this bridge had a nickname of 'The Iron Lung'.

Read more: Sydney Harbour Bridge Facts for Kids

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Sydney Harbour Bridge Facts for Kids - Facts For Kids

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It is a half-through arch bridge that connects the North Shore with Sydney central business district (CBD). Due to its unique design, it is often referred to as 'The Coathanger'. The design of this bridge was conceived by Dorman Long and Co Ltd, a British firm based in Middlesbrough.

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge, in Sydney Harbour, is a bridge that joins north Sydney with south Sydney. People can cross the bridge by car, walking or by train. There is a tunnel that goes underneath. The bridge is an important tourist attraction. The scenery attracts many tourists and people living in or near the city. One of the many attractions of the Harbour Bridge is its famous 'BridgeClimb'. Luna Park Sydney is located next to the bridge.

The bridge is 1,149 metres (3,770 feet) long, and 49 m (161 ft) wide. The highest point of the arch is 134 m (440 ft) tall. Building began on 19 March 1923 and ended in 1932. John Bradfield led the bridge's building.

The total financial cost of the bridge was AU£ 6.25 million, which was not paid off in full until 1988.

The southern end of the bridge is located at Dawes Point in The Rocks area, and the northern end at Milsons Point in the lower North Shore area. There are six original lanes of road traffic through the main roadway, plus an additional two lanes of road traffic on its eastern side, using lanes that were formerly tram tracks. Adjacent to the road traffic, a path for pedestrian use runs along the eastern side of the bridge, whilst a dedicated path for bicycle use only runs along the western side; between the main roadway and the western bicycle path lies the North Shore railway line.

The main roadway across the bridge is known as the Bradfield Highway and is about 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long, making it one of the shortest highways in Australia.

The arch is composed of two 28-panel arch trusses; their heights vary from 18 m (59 ft) at the centre of the arch to 57 m (187 ft) at the ends next to the pylons.

The arch has a span of 504 m (1,654 ft) and its summit is 134 m (440 ft) above mean sea level; expansion of the steel structure on hot days can increase the height of the arch by 18 cm (7.1 in).

The total weight of the steelwork of the bridge, including the arch and approach spans, is 52,800 tonnes (52,000 long tons; 58,200 short tons), with the arch itself weighing 39,000 tonnes (38,000 long tons; 43,000 short tons). About 79% of the steel, specifically those technical sections constituting the curve of the arch, was imported pre-formed from England, with the rest being sourced from Newcastle. On site, the contractors (Dorman Long and Co.) set up two workshops at Milsons Point, at the site of the present day Luna Park, and fabricated the steel into the girders and other required parts.

The bridge is held together by six million Australian-made hand-driven rivets supplied by the McPherson company of Melbourne, the last being driven through the deck on 21 January 1932. The rivets were heated red-hot and inserted into the plates; the headless end was immediately rounded over with a large pneumatic rivet gun. The largest of the rivets used weighed 3.5 kg (8 lb) and was 39.5 cm (15.6 in) long. The practice of riveting large steel structures, rather than welding, was, at the time, a proven and understood construction technique, whilst structural welding had not at that stage been adequately developed for use on the bridge.

At each end of the arch stands a pair of 89 m (292 ft) high concrete pylons, faced with granite. The pylons were designed by the Scottish architect Thomas S. Tait, a partner in the architectural firm John Burnet & Partners.

Some 250 Australian, Scottish, and Italian stonemasons and their families relocated to a temporary settlement at Moruya, NSW, 300 km (186 mi) south of Sydney, where they quarried around 18,000 m ³ (635,664 cu ft) of granite for the bridge pylons. The stonemasons cut, dressed, and numbered the blocks, which were then transported to Sydney on three ships built specifically for this purpose. The Moruya quarry was managed by John Gilmore, a Scottish stonemason who emigrated with his young family to Australia in 1924, at the request of the project managers. The concrete used was also Australian-made and supplied from Kandos, New South Wales.

Abutments at the base of the pylons are essential to support the loads from the arch and hold its span firmly in place, but the pylons themselves have no structural purpose. They were included to provide a frame for the arch panels and to give better visual balance to the bridge. The pylons were not part of the original design, and were only added to allay public concern about the structural integrity of the bridge.

Although originally added to the bridge solely for their aesthetic value, all four pylons have now been put to use. The south-eastern pylon contains a museum and tourist centre, with a 360° lookout at the top providing views across the harbour and city. The south-western pylon is used by the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) to support its CCTV cameras overlooking the bridge and the roads around that area. The two pylons on the north shore include venting chimneys for fumes from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, with the base of the southern pylon containing the RMS maintenance shed for the bridge, and the base of the northern pylon containing the traffic management shed for tow trucks and safety vehicles used on the bridge.

In 1942 the pylons were modified to include parapets and anti-aircraft guns designed to assist in both Australia's defence and general war effort. The top level of stonework was never removed.

Early proposals

There had been plans to build a bridge as early as 1815, when convict and noted architect Francis Greenway reputedly proposed to Governor Lachlan Macquarie that a bridge be built from the northern to the southern shore of the harbour. In 1825, Greenway wrote a letter to the then "The Australian" newspaper stating that such a bridge would "give an idea of strength and magnificence that would reflect credit and glory on the colony and the Mother Country".

Nothing came of Greenway's suggestions, but the idea remained alive, and many further suggestions were made during the nineteenth century. In 1840, naval architect Robert Brindley proposed that a floating bridge be built. Engineer Peter Henderson produced one of the earliest known drawings of a bridge across the harbour around 1857. A suggestion for a truss bridge was made in 1879, and in 1880 a high-level bridge estimated at $850,000 was proposed.

In 1900, the Lyne government committed to building a new Central railway station and organised a worldwide competition for the design and construction of a harbour bridge. Local engineer Norman Selfe submitted a design for a suspension bridge and won the second prize of £500. In 1902, when the outcome of the first competition became mired in controversy, Selfe won a second competition outright, with a design for a steel cantilever bridge. The selection board were unanimous, commenting that, "The structural lines are correct and in true proportion, and... the outline is graceful". However due to an economic downturn and a change of government at the 1904 NSW State election construction never began.

A unique three-span bridge was proposed in 1922 by Ernest Stowe with connections at Balls Head, Millers Point, and Balmain with a memorial tower and hub on Goat Island.

In 1914 John Bradfield was appointed "Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction", and his work on the project over many years earned him the legacy as the "father" of the bridge. Bradfield's preference at the time was for a cantilever bridge without piers, and in 1916 the NSW Legislative Assembly passed a bill for such a construction, however it did not proceed as the Legislative Council rejected the legislation on the basis that the money would be better spent on the war effort.

Following World War I, plans to build the bridge again built momentum. Bradfield persevered with the project, fleshing out the details of the specifications and financing for his cantilever bridge proposal, and in 1921 he travelled overseas to investigate tenders. On return from his travels Bradfield decided that an arch design would also be suitable and he and officers of the NSW Department of Public Works prepared a general design for a single-arch bridge based upon New York City's Hell Gate Bridge. In 1922 the government passed the Sydney Harbour Bridge Act No. 28, specifying the construction of a high-level cantilever or arch bridge across the harbour between Dawes Point and Milsons Point, along with construction of necessary approaches and electric railway lines, and worldwide tenders were invited for the project.

As a result of the tendering process, the government received twenty proposals from six companies; on 24 March 1924 the contract was awarded to British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd, of Middlesbrough well known as the contractors who later built the similar Tyne Bridge of Newcastle Upon Tyne, for an arch bridge at a quoted price of AU£4,217,721 11s 10d. The arch design was cheaper than alternative cantilever and suspension bridge proposals, and also provided greater rigidity making it better suited for the heavy loads expected.

Bradfield and his staff were ultimately to oversee the bridge design and building process as it was executed by Dorman Long and Co, whose Consulting Engineer, Sir Ralph Freeman of Sir Douglas Fox and Partners, and his associate Mr. G.C. Imbault, carried out the detailed design and erection process of the bridge. Architects for the contractors were from the British firm John Burnet & Partners of Glasgow, Scotland. Lawrence Ennis, of Dorman Long, served as Director of Construction and primary onsite supervisor throughout the entire build, alongside Edward Judge, Dorman Long's Chief Technical Engineer, who functioned as Consulting and Designing Engineer.

The building of the bridge coincided with the construction of a system of underground railways in Sydney's CBD, known today as the City Circle, and the bridge was designed with this in mind. The bridge was designed to carry six lanes of road traffic, flanked on each side by two railway tracks and a footpath. Both sets of rail tracks were linked into the underground Wynyard railway station on the south (city) side of the bridge by symmetrical ramps and tunnels. The eastern-side railway tracks were intended for use by a planned rail link to the Northern Beaches; in the interim they were used to carry trams from the North Shore into a terminal within Wynyard station, and when tram services were discontinued in 1958, they were converted into extra traffic lanes. The Bradfield Highway, which is the main roadway section of the bridge and its approaches, is named in honour of Bradfield's contribution to the bridge.

Construction

Bradfield visited the site sporadically throughout the eight years it took Dorman Long to complete the bridge. Despite having originally championed a cantilever construction and the fact that his own arched general design was used in neither the tender process nor as input to the detailed design specification (and was anyway a rough copy of the Devil's Gate bridge produced by the NSW Works Department), Bradfield subsequently attempted to claim personal credit for Dorman Long's design. This led to a bitter argument, with Dorman Long maintaining that instructing other people to produce a copy of an existing design in a document not subsequently used to specify the final construction did not constitute personal design input on Bradfield's part. This friction ultimately led to a large contemporary brass plaque being bolted very tightly to the side of one of the granite columns of the bridge in order to makes things clear

The official ceremony to mark the "turning of the first sod" occurred on 28 July 1923, on the spot at Milsons Point on the north shore where two workshops to assist in building the bridge were to be constructed.

An estimated 469 buildings on the north shore, both private homes and commercial operations, were demolished to allow construction to proceed, with little or no compensation being paid. Work on the bridge itself commenced with the construction of approaches and approach spans, and by September 1926 concrete piers to support the approach spans were in place on each side of the harbour.

As construction of the approaches took place, work was also started on preparing the foundations required to support the enormous weight of the arch and loadings. Concrete and granite faced abutment towers were constructed, with the angled foundations built into their sides.

Once work had progressed sufficiently on the support structures, a giant "creeper crane" was erected on each side of the harbour. These cranes were fitted with a cradle, and then used to hoist men and materials into position to allow for erection of the steelwork. To stabilise works while building the arches, tunnels were excavated on each shore with steel cables passed through them and then fixed to the upper sections of each half-arch to stop them collapsing as they extended outwards.

Arch construction itself began on 26 October 1928. The southern end of the bridge was worked on ahead of the northern end, to detect any errors and to help with alignment. The cranes would "creep" along the arches as they were constructed, eventually meeting up in the middle. In less than two years, on Tuesday, 19 August 1930, the two halves of the arch touched for the first time. Workers riveted both top and bottom sections of the arch together, and the arch became self-supporting, allowing the support cables to be removed. On 20 August 1930 the joining of the arches was celebrated by flying the flags of Australia and the United Kingdom from the jibs of the creeper cranes.

Once the arch was completed, the creeper cranes were then worked back down the arches, allowing the roadway and other parts of the bridge to be constructed from the centre out. The vertical hangers were attached to the arch, and these were then joined with horizontal crossbeams. The deck for the roadway and railway were built on top of the crossbeams, with the deck itself being completed by June 1931, and the creeper cranes were dismantled. Rails for trains and trams were laid, and road was surfaced using concrete topped with asphalt. Power and telephone lines, and water, gas, and drainage pipes were also all added to the bridge in 1931.

The pylons were built atop the abutment towers, with construction advancing rapidly from July 1931. Carpenters built wooden scaffolding, with concreters and masons then setting the masonry and pouring the concrete behind it. Gangers built the steelwork in the towers, while day labourers manually cleaned the granite with wire brushes. The last stone of the north-west pylon was set in place on 15 January 1932, and the timber towers used to support the cranes were removed.

On 19 January 1932, the first test train, a steam locomotive, safely crossed the bridge. Load testing of the bridge took place in February 1932, with the four rail tracks being loaded with as many as 96 steam locomotives positioned end-to-end. The bridge underwent testing for three weeks, after which it was declared safe and ready to be opened. The construction worksheds were demolished after the bridge was completed, and the land that they were on is now occupied by Luna Park.

The standards of industrial safety during construction were poor by today's standards. Sixteen workers died during construction, but surprisingly only two from falling off the bridge. Several more were injured from unsafe working practices undertaken whilst heating and inserting its rivets, and the deafness experienced by many of the workers in later years was blamed on the project. Henri Mallard between 1930 and 1932 produced hundreds of stills and film footage which reveal at close quarters the bravery of the workers in tough Depression-era conditions.

Interviews were conducted between 1982-1989 with a variety of tradesmen who worked on the building of the bridge. Among the tradesmen interviewed were drillers, riveters, concrete packers, boilermakers, riggers, ironworkers, plasterers, stonemasons, an official photographer, sleepcutters, engineers and draughtsmen.

The total financial cost of the bridge was AU£ 6.25 million, which was not paid off in full until 1988.

The bridge was formally opened on Saturday, 19 March 1932. Among those who attended and gave speeches were the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Philip Game, and the Minister for Public Works, Lawrence Ennis. The Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, was to open the bridge by cutting a ribbon at its southern end.

However, just as Lang was about to cut the ribbon, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse, slashing the ribbon with his sword and opening the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the name of the people of New South Wales before the official ceremony began. He was promptly arrested. The ribbon was hurriedly retied and Lang performed the official opening ceremony and Game thereafter inaugurated the name of the bridge as 'Sydney Harbour Bridge' and the associated roadway as the 'Bradfield Highway'. After they did so, there was a 21-gun salute and an RAAF flypast. The intruder was identified as Francis de Groot. He was convicted of offensive behaviour and fined £5 after a psychiatric test proved he was sane, but this verdict was reversed on appeal. De Groot then successfully sued the Commissioner of Police for wrongful arrest, and was awarded an undisclosed out of court settlement. De Groot was a member of a right-wing paramilitary group called the New Guard, opposed to Lang's leftist policies and resentful of the fact that a member of the Royal Family had not been asked to open the bridge. De Groot was not a member of the regular army but his uniform allowed him to blend in with the real cavalry. This incident was one of several involving Lang and the New Guard during that year.

A similar ribbon-cutting ceremony on the bridge's northern side by North Sydney's mayor, Alderman Primrose, was carried out without incident. It was later discovered that Primrose was also a New Guard member but his role in and knowledge of the de Groot incident, if any, are unclear. The pair of golden scissors used in the ribbon cutting ceremonies on both sides of the bridge was also used to cut the ribbon at the dedication of the Bayonne Bridge, which had opened between Bayonne, New Jersey, and New York City the year before.

Despite the bridge opening in the midst of the Great Depression, opening celebrations were organised by the Citizens of Sydney Organising Committee, an influential body of prominent men and politicians that formed in 1931 under the chairmanship of the Lord Mayor to oversee the festivities. The celebrations included an array of decorated floats, a procession of passenger ships sailing below the bridge, and a Venetian Carnival. A message from a primary school in Tottenham, 515 km (320 mi) away in rural New South Wales, arrived at the bridge on the day and was presented at the opening ceremony. It had been carried all the way from Tottenham to the bridge by relays of school children, with the final relay being run by two children from the nearby Fort Street Boys' and Girls' schools. After the official ceremonies, the public was allowed to walk across the bridge on the deck, something that would not be repeated until the 50th anniversary celebrations. Estimates suggest that between 300,000 and one million people took part in the opening festivities, a phenomenal number given that the entire population of Sydney at the time was estimated to be 1,256,000.

There had also been numerous preparatory arrangements. On 14 March 1932, three postage stamps were issued to commemorate the imminent opening of the bridge. Several songs were composed for the occasion. In the year of the opening, there was a steep rise in babies being named Archie and Bridget in honour of the bridge.

The bridge itself was regarded as a triumph over Depression times, earning the nickname "the Iron Lung", as it kept many Depression-era workers employed.

Operations

In 2010, the average daily traffic included 204 trains, 160,435 vehicles and 1650 bicycles.

Images for kids

The opening sequence to the 2008-09 Midnight Fireworks, using the Sun for its bridge effect.

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge, in Sydney Harbour, is a bridge that joins north Sydney with south Sydney. People can cross the bridge by car, walking or by train. There is a tunnel that goes underneath. The bridge is an important tourist attraction. The scenery attracts many tourists and people living in or near the city.