Adelaide Bridge, SA
The City of Adelaide was founded on both sides of the River Torrens, and it was therefore necessary to have a reliable and safe crossing and to access the port.
The first bridge to cross the river was constructed about 500m west of the current Adelaide Bridge in 1839. It was twice damaged by flood water and destroyed in 1844.
22 September 1848 the Colonial Engineer, E.C. Frome, recommended a new bridge as an extension to King Willliam Street and that an iron bridge be imported from England. On 18 August 1853 the Colonial Architect, W Bennet Hays, as the successor to the Colonial Engineer, produced plans and estimates for the bridge.
On 10 May 1854 the Hays submitted specifications for the iron work of the bridge with the recommendation it be procured from Fox, Henderson and Co. of England.
This bridge consisted of two wrought iron bow string arch trusses to create a single 103-foot 6-inch span that was 26 feet and 6 inches wide. The ends were supported on masonry piers.
The bridge was completed on 2 October 1856 and was opened without ceremony.
Within 20 years it was found that the bridge’s width was two narrow for traffic volumes. The second bridge on the site was constructed under the direction of J. L. Hyndman and used wrought iron plate girders spanning between the same abutments. The bridge has a width of 40 feet. This bridge was opened in 1877 and named the Adelaide Bridge. Soon after opening tracks for horse trams were added and in 1909 the bridge was strengthened with the addition of two extra girders in preparation for the new network of electric trams.
By 1920 the bridge had become overloaded and its width inadequate when trams were crossing. The City of Adelaide investigated widening the bridge, but it was decided to replace the bridge with a new one 132 feet wide matching King William Street.
The current bridge was designed by City Engineers, initially by R.F. Scott and then completed by W.C.D Veale. It was built by Essery and Cartledge. Construction commenced on 6 June 1929 and was completed by the end of 1930 and opened 5 March 1931.
The bridge is a three-span reinforced concrete arch structure. The spans are of unequal length but the same rise.
Rehabilitation of the bridge and the extensions to the four main columns to allow for the installation of compliant lighting were undertaken in 1999.
References:
Kemp, DC; Pickles, JM; and Ward, RA, “Adelaide – Engineering and Industry – A guide to aspects of our engineering and industrial heritage in the City of Adelaide", Engineering Heritage Branch, Institution of Engineers Australia South Australian Division, March 1992.
Institution of Engineers, Australia, South Australian Division “Ponds, Ponts and Pop-eye – Notes for an afternoon afloat on Adelaide’s River Torrens” Institution of Engineers Australia publication number SAD 99/02, 21 November 1999.
Donovan, Marsden and Stark “Adelaide Bridge - King William Road” City of Adelaide Heritage Survey – Item no. 350, 25 November 1982.
Stacy, B and Venus, R “Bridging the Torrens: Pre- and post- Federation Technologies” unpublished.
Stacy, B “Notes on bridges in Adelaide”, unpublished
“Notes on the earliest bridges erected over the Torrens” Adelaide City Council Archives, Accession 1620.
Veale, W.D.C., 'The construction of Adelaide Bridge' in Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, Vol. XIII, 1932, pp. 37-50
Bridge over the River Torrens, Adelaide – Remembering the past Australia
