Redruth Bridge, SA
The Redruth Bridge was constructed in 1879. It replaced a laminated timber arch bridge that was in poor condition.
The bridge was designed by the Midland Road Board, a local board of Main Roads. The designer was Mr. Morris, the chair of the Midland Road Board.
The girders for the bridge were supplied by James Martin and Company of Gawler and the contractor was Mr. Duncan Grant.
The bridge design is based on a bow string truss. The earliest bridge of this design in the Colony of South Australia is a railway bridge over the River Torrens near Port Road. James Martin and Company also built that bridge.
Bow string trusses were used on other bridges in the colony including Merriton Bridge over the Broughton River, and Dunn’s Bridge over the Wakefield River.
The bridge originally had a deck constructed from jarrah timber, but this was replaced by reinforced timber in the 1930s by the then South Australian Highways Department.
The bridge is currently part of shared pedestrian and cyclist path.
References:
South Australian Heritage Places Database entry
