Main Image: A KittyKat passes under Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge (Photo by Karl Eastwood on Unsplash).
The Brisbane skyline could be changed forever unless an extensive and expensive restoration project can be undertaken on the Story Bridge which connects Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley.
Most Australian bridges are designed with a 100 year lifespan, and the Story Bridge will reach the end if its life in 2040, unless significant repairs get underway.
Despite spending almost $80 million over the last five years, the Brisbane City Council has said that the most expensive works are yet to come, with council having asked the federal government for $4.5 million in assistance.
The Story Bridge was built over a five year period between 1935 and 1940. Its construction served as more than just a river crossing, with the bridge becoming a public works program in the Great Depression.
The building of the heritage listed cantilever bridge was overseen by the Queensland engineer John Bradfield, who also oversaw the design and construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Brisbane River and Story Bridge 1939. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative number: 60915
The bridge now carries over 100,000 vehicles per day, but that heavy use combined with exposure to the elements means that without a full restoration, the bridge will not last past its 2040 lifespan.
Since 2020, council has been working on the restoration of the below deck steel on the southern approach to the Story Bridge, but it will be the sections over the Brisbane River that will prove most costly.
Andrew Wines is the Councillor for Enoggera Ward and Chair for Brisbane City Council’s Infrastructure Committee and has said that “a full restoration of the iconic Story Bridge will mean a whole other century of life for this critical piece of infrastructure.”