Harwood Bridge
Harwood Bridge | |
---|---|
cycleway | |
Crosses | Clarence River |
Locale | Maclean, New South Wales, Australia |
Maintained by | Transport for NSW |
Characteristics | |
Design | Truss bridge with single vertical-lift span |
Material | Steel |
Total length | 888 metres (2,913 ft) |
Longest span | 43.1 metres (141 ft) |
No. of spans | 34: (7 truss – 27 girder) |
Piers in water | 19 |
Clearance below | 37 metres (120 ft) using lift span |
No. of lanes | 2 |
History | |
Construction cost | A$3.8 million |
Opened | 20 August 1966 |
Replaces | Ferry (to 1966) |
Replaced by | 4-lane concrete bridge (since 2019: concurrent use) |
Location | |
References | |
[1][2][3] |
The Harwood Bridge is a two-lane steel truss bridge which carried the Pacific Highway over the Clarence River in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia from 1966 until 2019, when it was replaced by a four-lane 1.5-kilometre-long (4,921 ft) concrete bridge, located 20 metres (66 ft) to its east. The Harwood Bridge has been retained to provide access to Harwood Island.[4][5]
Description
The Harwood Bridge crosses the main channel of the Clarence River, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) upstream from the river mouth, and 46 kilometres (29 mi) by road from Grafton. It is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the town of Maclean at the village of Harwood. It carried the Pacific Highway from the south bank of the Clarence River onto Harwood Island,[3] from where the highway crosses the Serpentine Channel onto Chatsworth Island then finally crosses the North Channel of the Clarence River via the Mororo Bridge (also a steel truss bridge) to the northern bank.
The Harwood Bridge was completed in August 1966, and replaced the last ferry crossing on the state highway system of New South Wales. Prior to the opening of the bridge, the river crossing was provided by three cable-guided ferries operating in parallel.[3]
The bridge has a total length of 888 metres (2,913 ft), consisting of seven steel truss spans of 43.1 metres (141 ft) length and twenty-seven steel girder approach spans. The deck carries two lanes of traffic and a footway. One of the steel truss spans is a vertical-lift span, which allows vessels to navigate the Clarence River.[3] However, this now occurs infrequently.
The Harwood Bridge formed part of a bypass of the town of Maclean and the village of Harwood. It is the longest, and last, in a series of steel truss bridges of a standard design built by the
Replacement bridge
The Pacific Highway was upgraded between Grafton and Ballina. Work included a replacement four-lane 1.5-kilometre-long (4,921 ft) concrete bridge, located 20 metres (66 ft) to the east of the Harwood Bridge, spanning the Clarence River and its adjacent floodplain.[6][7] The new bridge was constructed between 2016 and December 2019,[3][8][9] and the existing bridge has been retained to provide access to Harwood Island.[10]
A
See also
References
- ^ "Ships that pass..." The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 34, no. 17. Australia. 21 September 1966. p. 35 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "LAST FERRY ON STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM ELIMINATED". Western Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 30 September 1966. p. 6 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. December 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "Harwood Bridge". Roads & Traffic Authority. Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- Roads & Maritime Services. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Bridge over Clarence River at Harwood". acciona.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales.
- NBN News. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ Bridge over Clarence River at Harwood Pacific Highway Upgrade
- Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
External links
Media related to Harwood Bridge at Wikimedia Commons