Brisbane City Council is celebrating a major construction milestone for the city, with the first steel bridge deck span of the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge now installed.
The bridge deck connects the CBD landing site at the corner of Alice Street and Edward Street to the first bridge pier.
Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said the installation of the bridge span was a major step forward in the much-anticipated project.
“The Kangaroo Point Green Bridge will be a Brisbane icon when finished, with images of the bridge and its striking 83-metre mast certain to become synonymous with our city in the years to come,” Lord Mayor Schrinner said.
“The over-water restaurant and café that we have incorporated into the project will also make the bridge a must-do destination for residents and visitors.
“Before, during and after the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the bridge will provide a critical link between a redeveloped Gabba Stadium and the CBD.
“Wherever I go in Brisbane, people are keen to know more about this fantastic project so it’s great we can start the year by announcing the bridge has reached this key milestone.”
The installation of the span occurred after two steel modules, each weighing around 35 tonnes, were transported down Edward Street under police escort, before being lifted into place by a mobile crane.
The crane was brought in specifically for the job of installing the span.
“This is the first of eight bridge spans, with four more to be installed by mid-2023, as the bridge begins to snake out piece by piece from both sides of the river,” Lord Mayor Schrinner said.
Over the coming months, pre-cast concrete deck panels will be fitted into place over the bridge span, forming part of the bridge deck, with the process to be replicated on the Kangaroo Point side of the bridge.
The project is being delivered on behalf by Connect Brisbane, a consortium of bridge design, engineering, and construction specialists led by BESIX Watpac.
The Lord Mayor said the project was moving forward quickly, with the river expected to be bustling with barge-based construction activity over the coming months.
“Most of the marine piling works have now been completed and will be followed by concrete pours for the marine piers, which will support the bridge from underneath,” he said.
More than 6,000 pedestrians, cyclists and e-mobility riders are expected to use the bridge daily by 2036, reducing car trips across the river by up to 84,000 each year.
The bridge is anticipated to be completed in 2024.
