Stirling Bridge

A bridge over the Swan River at Fremantle has always been a key focus of interest since the colony was settled in 1829, with the Perth township situated on the northern bank and the port of Fremantle located on the southern. A road crossing of the river upstream of the harbour was the obvious place for a bridge but the fledgling colony did not have the technical and financial resources for some considerable time to accomplish this objective. Eventually two timber bridges were built and one of them is still in use today, having been upgraded several times. The other was demolished in 1947.

The Stirling Bridge, located upstream of the existing timber road bridge and steel and concrete railway bridge, was completed in 1974 and is the most recent construction to span these waters. The bridge forms a link between Stirling Highway and Cockburn Road as part of the bypass of the City of Fremantle. It was designed to meet the traffic requirements generated by the continuing development of heavy industry in the Kwinana area and general urban expansion.

The bridge has been planned in two stages. The first, the subject of this nomination, was completed in 1974. The second bridge, to be built when required, will duplicate the existing structure on the upstream side, adding another three lanes, giving a combined width of 35 m.

An interesting feature of the bridge is that the thickness of the supporting beams progressively increases towards the Southern end as the bridge span distances increase.

Stirling Bridge Aerial View
Source: J O Clough & Son

Interpretation Panel and EHM Marker
Source: Don Young

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Engineering Heritage Recognition Program

Marker Type	Engineering Heritage Marker (EHM)
Award Date	2 December 2014
Heritage Significance	Several key aspects of the bridge design and construction methods are significant. Design innovations were analytical advances in calculating shear transfer and verification of pile capacities using the computerised wave equation formula. Construction innovations included use of an adjustable steel form to ensure each unique unit was constructed within tight tolerances and the prefabricated steel falsework truss supporting the bridge girders prior to posttensioning was designed to be reused with each successive span, despite varying span lengths and heights.
Nomination Document	Available here.
Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report	Ceremony Report available here.
Plaque/Interpretation Panel	Available here.