Victoria Bridge, Adelaide, SA
The Morphett Street Bridge and Victoria Bridge are intrinsically linked.
The first City Bridge across the River Torrens was built in 1839. It was constructed approximately 500 metres west of the current Adelaide Bridge. It could be accessed from the road now known as Morphett Street.
From 1867 to 1869 the colony government gave the City of Adelaide grant money for the construction of a new bridge across the River Torrens on the site of the current Victoria Bridge. The City of Adelaide contributed the balance needed for the construction.
Initially G. and W.F. Anderson proposed a suspension bridge but a wrought iron girder bridge with buckle plates to minimise the use of timber was adopted. This bridge had a pier in the middle of the River Torrens and was near horizontal. The bridge was 37 feet wide. It had two spans of 82 feet and six inches.
There were three primary girders running continuously from abutment to abutment. Cross girders carried the roadway with the space between the cross girders were covered with buckle plates.
The abutments were Dry Creek stone with concrete filling, and the pier was solid Dry Creek stone. The abutments and the pier were supported on concrete footings with bluegum piles.
W.F. and G. Anderson were the engineers. The wrought iron was procured from Eastwood and Swingler of England. Thomas Hall was the contractor for the abutments, Ayliffe and Campaign constructed the central peri and abutments, and C.S. Ballie erected the ironwork.
The bridge opened in 1870.
On 30 November 1964 the City of Adelaide approved preparation of plans and specifications to replace the then existing Morphett Street and Victoria Bridge including the widening and alignment Morphett Street.
The new bridge is part of a single road alignment from Montefiore Hill to Light Square. It is a single span over the river to improve the alignment of the rowing course. The new bridge has twice to traffic width of the original. The bridge was constructed as two parallel bridges constructed one after the other so that the crossing could be kept open.
Each of the two bridges is constructed from 24 precast concrete box units with hollow back spans filled with concrete. The structure is founded on precast concrete piles up to 20 metres long.
These new bridges have prestressed concrete trapezoidal box girders. The girders were constructed on falsework and when prestressed lifted off the falsework.
The new bridges were opened in March 1968.
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.
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.
